Appointments
by Cael05
Summary: Tsuna, forced to attend one of his tutor's secret dealings, experiences first-hand color gangs, DOLLARS, games and the mystery that is Ikebukuro. Ikebukuro did not know what hit it when the Vongola Decimo stepped into its territories.
1. Ch1: Trip to Ikebukuro

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to their respectful owners. I do not gain anything in writing this fanfiction…well…except for having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

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><p><strong>0110/2012: **I just gained a partner in this story and now **TotallySweetFantasy **is now here to fix the mess in grammar and flow I made in the earlier chapters and help improve the future chapters. The main story wouldn't be affected so there's nothing to worry about.

TotallySweetFantasy-chan, thanks so much! And don't forget to thank her as well guys. =D

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><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER 1:** Trip to Ikebukuro

It was the first day of summer vacation.

However, Sawada Tsunayoshi was worn out and exhausted as he wandered in the midst of an unfamiliar busy Tokyo district. It had been an hour since he arrived in Ikebukuro without the usual company of his self-proclaimed right hand man and baseball-enthusiast friend.

He had come to the city for an errand. His tutor had told Tsuna the night before that he was to meet up with a certain person in Ikebukuro. But since the Vongola Ninth called and said that he needed the baby's aid, he was unable to keep the appointment. So, the sun arcobaleno had asked, forced, threatened Tsuna to go instead.

When his tutor explained what he should do, the young Vongola had thought the task at hand would be simple enough; he just had to go to Ikebukuro, find the man, give him Reborn's request, and hold on to what the man would give him in return and get back to Namimori.

To Tsuna's dismay, Reborn had considered the simple 'trade' part of the young Vongola's training and he had stubbornly refused to tell Tsuna the man's name. Reborn only mentioned that the man worked as an information dealer and hinted that Tsuna's blood of Vongola and hyper intuition would definitely help him to recognize the man.

Reborn had added with a mischievous glint in his eyes that the information dealer would be hard to miss. Tsuna would even recognize him. Tsuna couldn't help but fear that his tutor was actually having contact with Vongola's former adversaries.

To add to his student's despair, his tutor had forbidden his closest guardians to accompany him in this quest, and had told them it was Tsuna's own responsibility as the next boss.

Gokudera couldn't help but accept the fact that his beloved tenth would go on a mission without him. However, the silver-haired teen had promised Tsuna that if trouble arose, he would immediately go to his boss' side and protect him with his life.

Yamamoto had laughed at the storm guardian's worries and had told the Gokudera that Tsuna could look after himself. He had wished Tsuna a safe trip and also told him to try the Russian Sushi restaurant in Ikebukuro. Apparently, his old man was always raving about how the sushi bar offers exotic but tasty sushi for low prices. It seemed that the owner of the Russian Sushi bar and Yamamoto's father were once acquaintances.

Tsuna's thoughts ended with the growling of his stomach. He sighed and looked at his watch. It was already fifteen till noon and he was feeling hungry. Remembering the sushi bar Yamamoto had recommended, he decided that he would continue his search after lunch.

He hurriedly walked in the direction of a woman sitting on a bench in the park nearby to ask if she knew where the Russian Sushi bar was located. In his haste, he bumped into a huge bearded guy and fell butt-first to the ground. The guy eyed Tsuna menacingly before looking to the group of people behind him. A large group was now crowding around Tsuna.

"What's up with you kid? You just hurt our boss!" A thin man with nose-piercings and a knotted purple cloth on his arm growled at Tsuna before grinning back to man closest to Tsuna. Tsuna looked up at the group and saw the face of their so-called boss.

"I guess this means you're paying us medical fees, right brat?" A stout man agreed. He wore a purple hat and over-sized shirt.

Tsuna saw three men and their boss laugh heartily at his current condition. Each of them wore something with the color purple. _Must be those common city thugs I always read about._ Tsuna thought as he stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

_Why do I always have to meet people like these_? Tsuna thought bitterly. This was one of the rare occasions when Tsuna wished that the Namimori disciplinary committee was around. However, he shuddered at the thought of Hibari biting these people to the death while for disturbing the peace.

"That's it! We need twenty thousand yen for the medical fees brat!" The boss roared at Tsuna.

Tsuna looked meekly at the demanding thugs. The menacing men looked down at Tsuna with raised eyebrows and tapping feet. Two of the men now carried a pipe and a bat while the others looked at him maniacally; their eyes told him that if he refused, he would not be let off easy. Tsuna's eyes drifted back to the weapons and he inhaled sharply as he assessed the situation.

He concluded that the only way to avoid this trouble was to escape. With all the things he had been through, he had matured and grown enough that and he knew that he need to hold back and not incapacitate err—defeat these thugs. Like before he refused to use violence whenever possible, however was not as forgiving when innocent people were involved and needed protection. The situation then was just some type of bullying. He did not want to make a big deal off something so trivial. In order to escape, he decided to disappear with the help of his hyper dying will mode.

He was preparing to flee from the thugs when a member directed his attention to the woman whom Tsuna had approached before. During the last few minutes she had mustered the courage to approach them. She was looking at the gang nervously while clutching her cellphone.

"You! What are you looking at woman? You want to help this poor kid huh?" the woman now had caught attention of the rest of the gang. "Get out here before we beat you too!" bellowed the group's boss.

The woman jumped at the threat and ran in the opposite direction, glancing apologetically at Tsuna. Tsuna smiled back at the woman, silently thanking her for her attempt to help him.

The disgusting actions of the thugs pissed off Tsuna. He could forgive them if they were only bothering him, but could not let them slide after they had involved and threatened an innocent woman.

He faced the group seriously this time. The group paused, seeing the new expression from the boy's face but continued to laugh.

"Got the guts to retaliate huh? Punk!" The thugs readied their weapons and prepared to attack. Tsuna looked around and saw that he and the group were the only ones in the park.

He focused, anticipating the moves of the disrespectful thugs. _It'll only take minute to knock these guys out. No flames. No dying will mode. No hyper will mode. No nothing. Just strike each of them behind the neck._ He reminded himself. After this, he would really have to find that Russian Sushi place, eat, and then track down that information dealer so that he could finally return to Namimori and to his friends.

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><p><em>1 NEW MESSAGE<em>

Ryuugamine Mikado looked at his mobile phone and opened the DOLLARS archive. On the first page he saw a new message posted by a member seeking for help.

_[__A brown-haired boy near the park is surrounded by 5 thugs from the PURPLE LIMASCON gang. I can't help the boy since they looked armed. The boy needs DOLLARS' help!]_

Mikado looked at his blonde best friend, Kida Masaomi, and told him about the post. The Purple Limascon is harassing people again. Since they were near the vicinity of the park, the two friends decided to help the boy in distress.

While running towards the park, Mikado heard his phone beep again. He opened the message and realized the seriousness of the situation. He handed his mobile to his bestfriend so that he, too, could read the new message.

_[__I was confronted by the gang members. The boy is already alone with the gang. God knows what they're doing to the boy right now. Please someone help him!]_

Mikado saw worry in his friend's eyes when Kida passed his phone back. He typed furiously a reply saying that they were on their way to help the boy. They continued running until they saw the crowd of five huge Purple Limascon members laughing their heads off while surrounding a short, browned-haired teen.

Mikado noticed that the boy wore a very serious expression which made him looked intimidating despite his height. _Even if he knows how to fight, there's no way he can defeat five Purple Limascons two times his size. That's insane!_

Mikado sensed Kida's anger as they watched the familiar seen. He remembered that his best friend still felt guilty of his form gang's mischief. After that, Kida had promised his friends and himself that he would never allow such actions to happen again.

When Kida had come back from his soul-searching with his girlfriend, he was furious when he learned that some new color gangs had appeared after the conflict between the Dollars, Yellow Scarves and the Slasher's group. Mikado had tried to ease his best friend by explaining to him that the new gangs were not very active and were not creating any disturbance. After that, the blonde had calmed and their lives proceeded harmoniously.

The city was relatively peaceful until recently. Just a month ago, the Purple Limascon gang had started harassing people and proclaiming themselves as the new reigning color gang of Ikebukuro. However, this was kept under covers as Dollars and the Slasher's group worked to keep their pranks to a minimum. DOLLARS members discreetly helped bullying victims while the Slasher's group threatened the purple gang members when they created mess on the streets.

A huge man shouted at the boy's face while the others readied themselves to attack the short kid. Kida tapped Mikado's shoulder and then started running towards the guy holding the bat closest to the brown-haired boy. Mikado, on the other hand, ran in direction of the boy and when he reached the boy, he grabbed his hand to draw him away from the commotion.

When Kida saw that Mikado had already safely grabbed the boy, he smirked as he delivered a final kick in the groin of the huge guy with the purple bandanna around his neck before running away. Looking back, he snickered as the gang members called desperately to their boss. It wasn't long before he caught up Mikado and the stranger.

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><p>As Tsuna held his ground against the stranger group, he became distracted by two approaching presences. He was confused when suddenly, a blonde-haired boy appeared and attacked the guy with the bat closest to him. He was more startled when he felt a hand on his wrist and tugged him in the opposite direction.<p>

The owner of the hand was a black-haired teen who wore a white-jacket with green sleeves. The boy had pulled him into a fast run away from the fighting group. When he glanced back to see what had happened to the thugs, he saw the blonde kick the man with bandanna around his neck in the groin.

_Owww..._ Tsuna winced, slightly pitying the guy with the injury. Although he felt some satisfaction, he held back a chuckle. Even though the man deserved the kick, he knew it was rude laughing at another person's misery. At least he did not think of such an embarrassing way to attack the group.

His gaze now settled on the back of the blonde who had just caught up with him and the raven. Knowing that the park was empty, he was amused when he came to a conclusion that the women probably asked these people to help him. _I can't believe they helped me. A stranger! I guess this city isn't that bad after all._

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><p>The three boys stopped running when they reached the entertainment district intersection. Kida Masaomi laughed as he panted and two other boys laughed as well after realizing what had just happened. They had taken down five huge guys without a scratch.<p>

Mikado leaned on a lamp post as he caught his breath while the brunette continued to chuckled next to him. Kida, tired of laughing, wiped off the tears that were on his eyes and faced his best friend and the kid they just rescued.

"I haven't run like that for a long while", he said as he stared at the brunette. When he saw that the kid open his mouth to thank them and started to bow, he interrupted him and introduced himself instead.

"Yo! You don't need to thank us! It's just our duty to help people here in the city. I'm Kida Masaomi by the way." he grinned at the surprised kid. Mikado, already on his toes, spoke to the boy as well.

"And I'm Ryuugamine Mikado. I'm really glad we escaped from there. Those gang members are always up to no good." Mikado sighed in relief and bowed like usual to the boy.

"Ahhh…I uhhh…really thank you for helping me!"

Kida noticed that the brunet who had appeared serious before was completely different now. He seemed shy and nervous as he rambled his gratitude. After Mikado told the boy that he didn't need to continue thanking them the brunet told them about himself and his reason for coming to Ikubukuro.

"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi but you can just call me Tsuna. It's really nice to meet you Kida-san, Ryuugamine-san." Tsuna paused, but then proceeded telling the rest after seeing the Mikado's and Kida's expectant looks.

"I'm actually here to search for someone but I…uhh…actually don't know his name. All I know is he is an information dealer and he is supposed to meet my tutor today. Since my tutor had an emergency, I was sent here instead. I've been looking for him for an hour—err—I think it's already two hours since that incident happened." Tsuna smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at his convoluted explanation.

"You can just call us Masaomi and Mikado too if we're going to call you Tsuna. So you're not from here huh? Where are you from?" Kida asked Tsuna curiously. Somehow, he liked this kid who reminded him of Mikado when they were very young.

"I'm from Namimori town. I don't think you've heard about it. It's not very well known." Tsuna raised his head to look around and take in the crowded and lively streets of the city. "Wow, it really is like those pictures in the magazines."

Before Kida could ask another question, a strange growl broke the conversation.

"Ahahaha…Looks like my stomach's already complaining."

Mikado smiled at Tsuna, whose face was flushed from embarrassment. No longer able to hide his humiliation, Tsuna scratched the back of his head.

"Since we are here already, let's go to Simon's place and eat some sushi. I think it's having a sale today. Tsuna-san here probably needs some rest after such a long day." suggested Mikado.

Kida shrugged, fighting the urge to laugh at the new boy and nodded. Mikado led the way to the restaurant followed closely by Kida and Tsuna.

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><p>Meanwhile, a guy wearing a furry black jacket and black denim pants watched the three teens as they tread their way to the Russian Sushi bar from the shadows. He chuckled to himself as he schemed a new game for the new boy in town. It would be fun playing with the next leader of the most powerful mafia family in the world, Vongola Decimo. He grinned widely at the new chapter of chaos unfolding.<p>

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><p>Author's Notes:<p>

It was very nice writing after such a long time. I just recently returned to reading fanfiction and fell in love with reading crossovers. And then I randomly thought to give writing crossovers a try. I really hope this little idea of mine would actually interest you, readers. And I'll definitely update as soon as the next chapter has been written. (^w^)


	2. Ch2: Conversations at Russian Sushi

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to their respectful owners. I do not gain anything in writing this fanfiction…well…except for having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

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><p><strong>0112/2012: **Here's another beta-ed version care of **TotallySweetFantasy**. Without her, this chapter would have remained awkward and strange. =D

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><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER 2:** Conversations at Russian Sushi

When Tsuna and his two new guides in Ikebukuro arrived at the restaurant, Tsuna gawked at the man standing in front of the establishment. The man was happily distributing pamphlets to passers-by and was totally oblivious that his presence frightened all those he approached. He also had a strange way of pronouncing Japanese. Tsuna got this odd feeling that the man was actually fluent in Japanese but purposefully exaggerated his accent.

Noticing Tsuna's bewilderment, Mikado smiled and whispered to him that the man was actually from Russia and had moved to Ikebukuro with his friend. The two of them had opened a sushi bar, Russian Sushi.

Nodding, Tsuna now understood the man's dark complexion and foreign appearance.

The tall and muscular foreigner wore a sushi chef's uniform and handed out flyers enthusiastically. When the man spotted the three, he immediately went to greet them.

"Oh!~ Kida-kun, Mikado-kun! It's been a while. Want to try some sushi?~" he spoke to them in his strange Japanese. Noticing Tsuna for the first time, He smiled widely and flashed his pearl white teeth.

Tsuna tensed at the man's attention.

"A new face!~How are you? I'm Simon. Would you like some Russian Sushi? It very good. And it very cheap~" Simon smiled again, hoping that the new boy would accept the offer.

Feeling unthreatened by the large but kind and gentle man, Tsuna relaxed. When he opened his mouth to reply, Kida spoke first.

"His name's Tsuna, Simon. He is looking for a person. We were lucky and got Tsuna out of a rough situation and stopped here to eat."

Tsuna smiled at the foreigner. "Ah, hello! I'm really pleased to meet you Simon-san." He bowed at the towering man.

"My pleasure as well! So, you're a visitor of the city huh? You have to eat at Russian Sushi then. Simon stated, pleased. "Sushi is delicious."

"Err—Yes." Tsuna agreed warily.

Tsuna paused and remembered what Yamamoto told him before he had left Namimori. Looking back up at Simon he asked quietly. "Umm…Simon-san, are you the owner of Russian Sushi?"

"Yes. But Dennis started it. I only followed him here in Ikebukuro to help him out with his business. Do you need him?" Simon inquired.

Tsuna shook his head. "No, I don't think…so…I'm looking for someone but I actually don't know his name." He said mindlessly.

"Then why did you ask if Simon was Russian Sushi's owner?" Kida asked Tsuna a little confused. "Do you know about Russian Sushi?"

"Uhh... That's because a friend told me I had to come to Russian Sushi to eat at least once. He told me his father said the sushi here is really good." He continued after remembering the rest. "I think he said his father knew the owner." Tsuna shrugged. "My friend's father is also a sushi chef; he owns a sushi bar back at Namimori. I was going to come here first…but I got lost. Mikado-san and Masaomi-san helped me." He turned to the two teens appreciatively.

Simon's eyes lit up in recognition, "Ah! When you said Namimori, you must be talking about Yamamoto-san. He owns Takeshi Sushi right? As far as I know, Dennis talks about him all the time. I think I've met him once in a sushi making conference. He's a very fine man." The Russian laughed.

Mikado finally broke his silence and awkwardly interrupted the laughing foreigner. "Uhh... Could we continue the chat inside?"

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><p>Tsuna blushed.<p>

Mikado smiled and Kida hopped up and down as Kida told Tsuna that he wanted to know more about the boy and his search so they could help.

Simon ushered the three teens to the door of the restaurant while apologizing for keeping them waiting.

Meanwhile, Mikado explained to Simon exactly what happened. "The Purple Limascons were corning Tsuna-san."

Simon nodded unhappily. He disliked fighting and hated the Purple Limascons for picking on the weak. "Tsuna-san is lucky that you and Kida-kun found him." He added appreciatively.

After seating the boys at a table near the counter, Simon found restaurant's sushi chef busily fixing a plate. When he told Dennis that Tsuna knew Yamamoto-san, Dennis's eyes widened before his mouth twisted into wide smile.

Dennis leaned over the counter to catch a glimpse of Tsuna. "You know Tsuyoshi's son?" He asked enthusiastically.

Tsuna nodded.

Dennis grinned even wider. "Don't worry about paying, it's on the house!"

His declaration left everyone shocked. Tsuna gaped inwardly wondering what kind of relationship Yamamoto's dad and Dennis-san had. After all, Dennis-san had used Yamamoto's dad's first name.

Recovering from the surprise, Kida and Mikado cheered at the treat while Tsuna thanked the owners of Russian Sushi.

"Don't worry about it." Dennis said. He was happy at the rare to opportunity to meet an acquaintance of his old friend. "A friend of Tsuyoshi-san's a friend of mine." he added.

Simon passed each of the boys a cup of tea and a platter of different kinds of sushi.

Looking down at the food, Tsuna saw a variety of fish he knew and a few he had never seen or tasted before.

After Simon had placed the special feast on the table, he told them to enjoy the meal before excusing himself to resume his position outside handing out flyers.

Although Dennis was busy fulfilling orders of his other customers, he told the three boys that if they needed more, they shouldn't hesitate to order.

The boys nodded and cried an 'Itadakimasu!' before indulging themselves in their free feast.

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><p>While eating, the boys began another wave of getting-to-know-one-another conversations.<p>

Kida, intrigued of his new acquaintance, enthusiastically popped the questions. Tsuna answered as truthfully as he could.

"So Tsuna, what's Namimori like?" The blonde started.

"Umm…it's much smaller than Ikebukuro but I think it's a very nice place. I've lived there with my mom all my life. My home tutor, his er—lover and three kids started to live with us when I was back in middle school. Overall, Namimori is a relatively peaceful place." he replied. _When there are no rival family assassins trying to kill you. _The young Vongola thought darkly.

"Hmm... I'm originally from the countryside and came here a little while ago. I think I like the busy city better than my hometown. Though, I sometimes miss it peace. And of course, I miss my family there." Mikado commented and Kida nodded in agreement.

"I moved with my family to Ikebukuro when I was in middle school. I convinced Mikado to attend highschool here so that we could be together again. We've been best friends since grade school." the blonde continued Mikado's story.

"Wow… the two of you had been friends for so long." Tsuna said in awe. The two grinned back at Tsuna.

"Well, I was the only one who could put up with Kida's lame jokes and easy-going lifestyle so we bonded."

"How could my best friend say that my jokes are lame? You always laugh at them!" mocked the 'hurt' Kida.

Mikado just shrugged and turned to Tsuna. "See?"

Tsuna just laughed as he watched Kida head-lock his best friend. He could see the two boy's bond which reminded him of his bond with his family.

Then Tsuna began describing his friends back at Namimori. Of course he left out his and his friends' involvement with the mafia. He told them of their adventures minus the Ring battles, trip to the future, Shimon battle, and other mafia-related events.

Kida and Mikado were amused by how 'colorful' Tsuna's life and laughed as Tsuna told his stories of his 'strict' home tutor and crazy antics. What they didn't know was that Tsuna left out that those crazy antics were equivalent to intense training for dangerous missions. The two listened intently and laughed as Tsuna ranted about loud mornings, bickering friends, EXTREME Boxing, a whiny arrogant cow-attired brat, a shy Chinese martial artist, cake-indulgent girls, and the terrifying Namimori Disciplinary Committee head.

Tsuna spoke willingly and did not feel the need to hide himself; his intuition told him he could trust the two of them. Of course, he still withheld any facts relating to the Vongola Famiglia. He was afraid if he told them the truth, his new friends might change their view of him.

When Tsuna had ended his stories, he listened intently as the two locals took turns to tell him about themselves.

However just like how Tsuna left out many things, they also didn't tell Tsuna about their actual life. Kida told Tsuna that Mikado and he were normal high school students attending Raira Academy. Instead of talking about his own life, the blonde changed to talking about happenings in Ikebukuro.

The young Vongola sensed the aversion of the topic so Tsuna held back his curiosity and didn't try to pry his acquaintances for more information about their lives. He knew they were right to be cautious and not tell stranger everything about themselves.

The two friends told Tsuna about the color gangs including the Purple Limascon.

Tsuna shuttered as he connected the color gangs to the Namimori Disciplinary Committee: both were scary. However, he soon learned the difference; Hibari's group was concerned of peace of the leader's beloved Namimori and would bite to death those who tried to disrupt it. On the other hand, most color gangs sought out territories and power over the citizens of the city. Apparently, the gang Tsuna had encountered before was the Purple Limascons. They were the newly self-proclaimed most powerful group of Ikebukuro. They misused their power and harassed people for fun and to show off their 'strength'.

Kida and Mikado didn't bother elaborating on the details of the gang conflict last year. However, they did tell him that 'the incident' caused the many miscellaneous color gangs to lay low or disband. However only months after the incident, new color gangs had started to pop out again though they were relatively quiet. The Purple Limascon was a little different in that it was the first to rise again and cause disturbances in the city.

The two friends continued to describe how the Purple Limascon were largely suppressed from causing too much disruption in the city by a group called DOLLARS.

Mikado went further to clarify details about the DOLLARS. He explained how a year ago, DOLLARS was a color gang that was considered mysterious by many. However due to strange rumors and events, DOLLARS was associated with being dangerous. But after its involvement in 'the incident', rumors cleared and new ones spread on its upright activities and social service to the district. The people of Ikebukuro began accept it little by little.

If an Ikebukuro local was questioned, he would describe the group as 'colorless'. Unlike other color gangs, who identified itself with a color, the group had no color. Its members never openly reveal their membership in public but never denied it either when asked. It was said that the members only communicated through DOLLARS' official site created a few years ago. What was more interesting and made DOLLARS even more mysterious was its lack of an identified leader. All they knew was that the leader had disbanded the group during 'the incident' but restored it soon after. It was a mystery to both members and non-members.

"So I guess you guys are from DOLLARS right? And it was DOLLARS who helped me right?" Tsuna concluded and eyed the two friends.

Mikado nodded awkwardly while Kida grinned widely.

"We didn't mean to reveal it like that; you caught on Tsuna-san. But I don't think we said anything that connected us to DOLLARS though. How did you know?" Mikado asked quizzically. He was so sure that the two of them had narrated the DOLLARS' story like any outsider.

"Ahh. Of course I considered that you two may have just been the considerate passers-by who instinctively help poor bullied victims. But, I kind of got the feeling you deliberately went to the park to stop the Purple Limascon." Tsuna didn't tell them that his intuition was telling him that they are not just normal high school students either.

"You're very perceptive, Tsuna! But actually, I just recently joined it too. Mikado here…well…has been a member for a long while. Even I didn't notice it until someone told me." Kida remembered the person who told him of his best friend's involvement in DOLLARS and the events that lead to his discovery. He glanced at his best friend who swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "Tsuna, you said you are looking for an information dealer right?" He suddenly changed the topic.

Tsuna, surprised of the sudden change of topic, nodded. Mikado also looked puzzled at Kida's diversion.

It was then that it struck Kida that the person Tsuna had an appointment with may just be someone he knew.

Kida didn't know if Orihara Izaya was coincidentally the information dealer Tsuna was looking for, but he didn't reject the possibility. Izaya always knew something; in fact he seemed to know everything.

"You think Tsuna-san's mysterious person is Izaya?"

Mikado thought about what Kida has proposed before he answered his best friend. "It's a possibility but if we consider how he manages to know everything and the best one around, it makes sense. So you think Tsuna-san has an appointment with Izaya-san?" Mikado looked troubled and faced Tsuna.

"Uhmmm... Who is this Izaya-san?"

"Someone we know." Kida answered. "If I'm not mistaken, your search is over." He concluded darkly.

Tsuna's eyes brightened but he was unable to say anything before Mikado's skeptical voice answered instead.

"But just because Izaya is an information dealer doesn't necessarily mean that he's the one Tsuna's looking for. Who knows how many information dealers are there in Ikebukuro. Besides, he doesn't even stay here, right? He just randomly shows up around the city whenever he feels like it." Mikado reasoned out.

Kida's brows contorted as he thought about what Mikado had said.

There was silence but at last Tsuna broke it. "Uhmm... Reborn said that if I meet the information dealer, I'll know that he's the one right away. Maybe the person also knows that I'm coming or something. In that case, I think I just have to look for Izaya-san to confirm that."

"And I don't know any other person who has much information about Ikebukuro aside from Izaya. If he's not the person, we'll just ask him if he knows other information dealers staying in the city." Kida had said with finality.

Mikado accepted his best friend's arguments and nodded to Tsuna.

Tsuna looked happy and thanked Kida and Mikado again for this new development. He was relieved; finally, he had some leads. He smiled at his new friends; they had really meant it when they said they would help him.

"I have Izaya's number so we can just call him first." The blonde held his mobile up and searched in his contacts for the number. Finding the right one, he pressed the call button and raised the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing of the receiver. A beep and the man's familiar voice answered.

_'Oh! Kida-kun!~ I never expected a call from you.'_ A man's voice coolly greeted the blonde.

"Izaya-san, uhmm…do you happen to be in Ikebukuro today?" Kida did not bother any formalities and went straight to the point.

_'Why yes! As a matter of fact, I'm meeting someone today but I seem to can't find him.'_

"Really?" Kida exclaimed. "Then is this person you're meeting with called Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Kida looked at Tsuna who looked at him expectantly. He then looked to his best friend who was curious of the on-going conversation.

_'You seem to know Sawada-san, Kida-kun. Yes, Reborn-san, told me that his student will come to Ikebukuro today. Have you met him? Do you know where I could find the kid? He must be lost.'_ Izaya laughed from the other side of Kida's line. Kida scowled at the fact that Izaya was enjoying this.

"Mikado and I are with him at the moment. He was looking for you too before we met him."

_'Oh! What a coincidence! Then, can you escort Sawada-san to the fountain at the park? I'll wait for you there.'_ Kida heard a beep that ended the call. He frowned at his phone but recovered and faced the expectant Tsuna and Mikado and reiterated the conversation.

"Izaya is also looking for you Tsuna! He said we should bring you to the fountain to Ikebukuro Park right away." Kida gave a thumbs up to Tsuna.

Mikado sighed in relief and smiled at Tsuna's success.

Beaming, Tsuna bowed again to his two new friends who had helped him so much.

The three got up to bade goodbye to Dennis at the counter. To their surprise, Dennis brought out two bentos and asked Tsuna to enjoy them and to come again.

Embarrassed, Tsuna accepted them gratefully. "Thank you very much Dennis-san. The sushi was delicious!"

The group left the restaurant and bade goodbye to Simon before walking in the direction of the park. Simon waved goodbye and shouted absurd lines in Japanese before they were out of view.

Orihara Izaya laughed excitedly, spinning widely in his chair. After his conversation with the former Yellow Scarves boss, he was more than hyped to see the Vongola Decimo. Then he could officially start his game. He then dialed another number on his phone before jumping from his seat and exiting his office to head for Ikebukuro Park.

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><p>Author's Rants:<p>

To make this fic work, I decided to read more materials about Durarara! I was relieved when I saw that the details I used in chapter 1 was accurate enough. Though, I think the sushi bar was dubbed as Russia Sushi instead of Russian Sushi. I prefer the latter so I stuck with it.

No action still. The whole chapter's about Tsuna learning more about Ikebukuro and DOLLARS. I'm actually not pleased myself on how this chapter came up but I hope the readers can still grasp what new details I added to DOLLARS and other ideas about Purple Limascon. More will be revealed on later chapters.

And oh, I think Tsuna's character is fluctuating. I mean I want to portray him as the same old lovable Tsuna but a more perceptive and matured one. And I really really sucked. Oh well, characterization is one of my weaknesses after all. So pardon me, oh dear readers, if the characters become OOC every now and then.


	3. Ch3: The Man who Knew Everything

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to their respectful owners. I do not gain anything in writing this fanfiction…well…except for having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

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><p><strong>0119/2012: **Beta-ed by none other than the awesome** TotallySweetFantasy. **

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><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER 3:** The Man Who Knew Everything

Tsuna, Kida and Mikado stopped walking a few meters from the fountain and saw the figure of the man waiting for them. He was wearing a furred hooded jacket, a plain black shirt paired, and a pair of black denim pants. He had black hair and was taller than the teens by a foot. His back faced them as he watched the continuous flow of water from the stair-like fountain.

Feeling that he was no longer alone, the man turned around in anticipation.

Tsuna was stunned and dumb-founded at the sight of Orihara Izaya. The information dealer looked identical to the leader of Namimori Disciplinary Committee, his cloud guardian Hibari Kyoya. _Reborn was not joking when he had said I would recognize him. _Tsuna wondered. _When did Reborn met this person anyhow?_ He thought but then immediately banished the question. It was Reborn's business, not his own. Tsuna didn't even want to attempt to ask. He shuttered at the idea of the possible punishment be might receive for being too nosy.

The information dealer approached the three, smiling gleefully at every step closer he was from the teens. He stopped right in front of Tsuna and offered his hand to the young Vongola, his scheming grin still stretched on his face.

"Hello Sawada Tsunayoshi-san. It's a pleasure finally to meet the student of the legendary strongest Arcobaleno.

Kida and Mikado looked at one another, bewildered at the strange title Izaya had given Tsuna's tutor.

Tsuna laughed nervously at the information dealer's deliberate use of the underground word. It wasn't often an outside knew about Reborn's identity as an Arcobaleno. However, he accepted the man's hand and shook it briefly while replying, "It's nice to meet you too, Izaya-san. Reborn told me to apologize for not coming personally to meet you."

"It's alright Tsuna-san. You don't mind me calling you Tsuna-san right?" Tsuna shook his head. "Anyways, Reborn called me beforehand after all, so it's really not a problem. It can't be helped since he does have an important job." Izaya assured the young teen. Izaya knew that Reborn couldn't refuse the current leader of the Vongola Famiglia.

"Well, it can't be helped right? Since, it was about family matters. And Tsuna said it was an emergency too." Kida interjected.

Kida's comment perked the interest of the information dealer who excitedly turned to the former Yellow Scarves shogun. Izaya never expected the young Vongola to divulge his mission to the two Ikebukuroans. His grin grew wider, curious of what they already know.

"Ooooh..~ Masaomi-kun, Mikado-kun. You know about Tsuna-san's family?"

Tsuna realized that the family the information dealer was referring to and what Kida and Mikado knew about his family are definitely different things. Not wanting to reveal himself, he tried to quickly think of a cover-up.

However, Mikado was faster. "We had a little chat during lunch at Russian Sushi. Tsuna-san told us many interesting stories about his family and friends in Namimori. And—"

Tsuna abruptly cut off the raven-haired teen. "My grandfather called Reborn about the urgent business. So, was an urgent family matter."

Although Kida and Mikado were startled at the sudden strange answer of the brunet, they nodded in agreement.

The information dealer pouted, disappointment showing on his face, but he recovered immediately. "Oh...So what else did Tsuna-san tell you? Or should I say, how much didn't he tell you?" Izaya's eyes narrowed and his eyes flashed with amusement.

Tsuna could see that Izaya was leading his two friends into a very dangerous conversation. This man must know 'omertà ' or if he did, he was seriously ignoring it.

The young Vongola was not pleased. He sensed the man's manipulative nature and felt the need to prevent him from spilling too much information 'by accident'. He had no choice but forcibly stop the flow of conversation.

Tsuna indirectly warned the information dealer in an authoritative but calm voice, "I believe we should proceed to our business, Izaya-san. We can save this idle chat for later. If you are still interested, I'll tell you what I told Masaomi-san and Mikado-san." He stared straight at the information dealer's eyes, amber orbs piercing black orbs.

The sudden shift of personality startled the information dealer immensely, but Izaya, a master in concealing his own emotions, remained smiling.

Kida and Mikado also recognized the same seriousness as when Tsuna displayed when they had saved him from the Purple Limascons. They shifted uncomfortably as they realized how easy it was to forget this side of the brunet's personality. Tsuna had seemed so gentle during their fun chat at the Russian Sushi. The brunet's brief display of authority had brought the two back to reality and reminded them that that Tsuna was more than what he seemed.

Tsuna, returning to his usual self, spoke to his new friends and apologized, "Umm... Sorry if I interrupted you like that but I—felt a sudden compulsion to fulfill my initial business since it's getting late and all." Tsuna bowed his head guiltily.

Kida and Mikado looked at each other. They understood what Tsuna was implying and were not offended by it. The appointment was between the brunet and the information dealer after all. Whatever their business was, it was certainly not Mikado and Kida's concern. Although Tsuna's mystery person was Orihara Izaya, Kida and Mikado had fulfilled their goal and should leave Tsuna to his business. Their job was done.

"It's okay Tsuna-san; we must get going soon anyway." Mikado reassured Tsuna. "I hope you had a good time in Ikebukuro despite what happened at the park." Mikado smiled as he put his hand on the young Vongola's shoulder.

"Next time, bring your friends here and call us! We'd be glad to show you around the city. Here's my number. Call me whenever you're in town." Kida grinned and ruffled Tsuna's hair.

The two nodded to Izaya who waved at them and told them that he was looking forward to talk to the two again.

"Thank you, Mikado-san, Masaomi-san. I'm really glad I met you two." Tsuna finally bowed as he watched the retreating figures of his two new friends.

"I guess this means we could start over, right Sawada Tsunayoshi-san? Or should I say, it's a pleasure to meet you, Vongola Decimo."

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><p>"I felt a little pushed aside back there." Kida began when he and Mikado reached the main streets of the district. Dismay undeniably lingered in his voice.<p>

"Well...I felt it too but I don't blame Tsuna-san, it wasn't really any of our business. Though it's strange on how defensive Tsuna-san was." Mikado thoughtfully recalled what had triggered their untimely departure. Kida thought about it as well.

Silence engulfed the two as they walked slowly. They sighed; both teens were definitely disappointed at what happened.

After a while, Mikado finally spoke his opinion. "Tsuna seemed rather nervous when Izaya talked about his family and when Izaya asked us more about it; it was as if he was angry at Izaya about something."

"Hmm... but he already told us about his family though. Could he be hiding more?"

"Of course, all people have their secrets. Perhaps, Izaya-san was asking us if we knew Tsuna-san's family secret. Maybe Tsuna-san was angry because of that?"

The two nodded at their theory. All that they could do now was to speculate about what had happened. "But I really wouldn't want to see Tsuna angry," Kida said suddenly. "Did you notice? His expression was like the time when he was surrounded by the Purple Limascon Gang!"

"But up close, it was as if he was a totally different person. Just makes me think, did we really need to rescue him?"

"After seeing how he handled Izaya? Probably not. Izaya is one of the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro, if Tsuna had him shut up like that, he must be something big."

Mikado pieced together all their thoughts about the brunette and came up with a rather disturbing conclusion. "When you say it like that, you make it sound like Tsuna-san is like some boss of a gang. Or maybe a Yakuza member since he was so conservative of family secrets? He has a strict tutor, harsh trainings, and weird friends."

"Maybe; maybe not. He can also just be a very rich kid. He said about a family business right? It could even be a multi-billion business overseas and his tutor was summoned so that he would learn about it and teach Tsuna later. In the future, maybe Tsuna is suppose to be the one to handle such businesses."

The two laughed at all their speculations and realized how vast their imagination was. But one thing was very clear. Tsuna, that strange brunet from Namimori, was interesting. Very interesting.

"No matter what Tsuna-san's secret is, I still kind of wish we didn't leave him like that. I mean, I really like him too. I just wish that the next time we meet he would tell us what he really is. Even though he normally doesn't look like someone special, he definitely has some connection." Mikado smiled.

"Says the DOLLARS' boss who doesn't look like a leader at all." Kida told his best friend sarcastically and smirked.

"Shut up, former Yellow Scarves shogun." Mikado retorted curtly.

"Mikado! I told you not to call me that ever again. And I'm in DOLLARS too now, so basically you're my boss." Kida mocked Mikado with a knight's bow.

Mikado blushed at the friend's gesture and knocked the blonde on his head. He pulled Kida up to his feet and told Kida. "Masaomi, DOLLARS isn't gang and it has no leader. I may have been the one to create it but it became stable because of all the members working together. So I'm not your boss, I'm your _best friend_." He emphasized.

Kida eyed his best friend and suddenly laughed. The blonde clutched his stomach and stared at his Mikado and then laughed some more.

Mikado's face was now beet red with frustration at his best friend's antics. "Mas...Masaomi, I'm being serious and you're laughing at me?"

Kida started walking again, still laughing. He chose to ignore answering Mikado's question from sheer inability to find a breath to do so.

Mikado followed the annoying blonde but he had a small, wary smile on his face.

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><p>Tsuna never thought that he needed his Vongola Decimo facade just to finish this task Reborn gave him. But it was his tutor's secret dealing so what did he expect? Everything to be as easy as putting his shoe on? Of course not. Tsuna sighed remembering how he learned the stupid mask which was mandatory while handling important businesses with other families. He had gone to at least three negotiations with the Ninth and Reborn and had attended Cavallone's party. All eyes were with him then, though none of them actually approached him casually. He was actually thankful for the lack of contact.<p>

The Vongola Decimo facade, as Reborn called it, was like Tsuna in his Hyper-Dying will mode without having any flames. His senses and perception were heightened at maximum so that he could assess his situation. And if a serious battle arose, he could easily summon his Hyper-Dying Will mode, change into his gloves, and summon his flames without using a rebuke bullet or eating a dying-will pill.

Facing the information dealer, he could easily sense Izaya's 'abnormal' personality. However, for the first time he was puzzled. Even his guardians, Hibari Kyoya and Rokudo Mukuro, no matter how terrified he was of them, seemed trustworthy to some degree. Orihara Izaya was an enigma.

"It didn't occur to me that I would meet you like this." Tsuna stood there with his arms folded across his chest looking up at the dark haired man.

"Oya... Oya... Don't be angry with me Vongola Decimo, I was only asking Mikado-kun and Masaomi-kun how much they know about you." Tsuna knew that the man was playing a word game with him. "I was even surprised when I received the call from Masaomi-kun. I never expected him to call me ever again, you know, since we have a little bit of a history." Izaya giggled. "They didn't tell you? Even though, you told them 'some things' about yourself?"

"Does it matter?" Tsuna creased his eyebrows, trying to figure out what the talkative man wanted.

"Of course it matters", the information dealer reasoned. "Everything matters. A decision a person makes will another person's fate. As like, what we are doing right now would lead to what will happen in the future. Hmmm...what do they call it? Phalaenopsis Paradox or something like that?"

Tsuna remembered his battle in the future where he first heard about the Phalaenopsis Paradox phenomenon. It was Shouchi Irie who explained the concept of the parallel worlds to him and his guardians. He didn't really understand back then and he was still learning about it in depth. But he knew that the idea basically said that a person's decisions affect his future. And since there were so many choices of actions for the present, there are infinitely many possible futures for that present. But Izaya was actually introducing a new aspect of the theory, a decision one makes would affect another person's future because people's lives are interwoven and interconnected with each other. Tsuna looked at the man, _did Izaya know about their journey to the future? _He was disturbed to the new question he had in mind. How much did this man know?

Orihara Izaya smiled again as he offered the Vongola Decimo an unexpected deal. "Would you like to indulge yourself with more information? It's my condolences for making you force your new friends away. And it's actually related to the information Reborn wanted. Related but not included in the files."

Tsuna was seriously confused at the sudden turn of events. This man had deliberately hinted Tsuna's identity so that Tsuna would force Mikado and Kida away.

Tsuna felt a change in the conversation's flow, Izaya wasn't pressing for details anymore. However, he kept a small part of him alert.

"If I refuse, will you give me the files Reborn wants?" Tsuna finally asked. It was a simple question. Izaya would definitely answer it.

"Nope."

"I thought so." Tsuna just put his hand on his forehead. When he removed his hand, it was as if he peeled off a mask and became a different person.

"Hey! Why are you in Sawada Tsunayoshi mode now?"

"Umm...I don't think there's a need for me to be that serious anymore. You just want to talk right?"

"Hmm. I wanted to see you in when you're in boss mode. But your face was so emotionless it was no fun. Tsuna-kun is better in expressing emotions. Ahh...I'll bring you to a tea shop near here and we can proceed to our business." Izaya swiftly turned and merrily walked in the direction of the tea shop.

Tsuna followed the man. With all that happened, he felt that the conversation with Orihara Izaya was even more exhausting than being in an actual fight. He would rather face the Purple Limascons than spend any more time talking with Izaya.

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><p>Author's Rants: My apologies for not updating in my self-imposed 5-day update date. I had soooooo many difficulties with writing Izaya and how Tsuna would deal with him. Izaya brings out so many things from others with his inquisitive, manipulative, talkative, human-loving character. I really hoped I set him up right.<p>

My favorite part of this chapter is Mikado and Kida's insights about Tsuna's identity/secret. Somehow, they're so near and yet so far to the truth. And I really love their interaction with each other but I should tell dear readers that this is not a slash fic, okay?

My thanks to the people who added Appointments in their Story Alerts and Favorites. And to those who reviewed too!

Malugod kong ipanababatid ang aking lubos na pasasalamat! ^_^


	4. Ch4: Setting up the Pieces part 1

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

**APPOINTMENTS**

**CHAPTER 4 :** Setting Up the Pieces part 1

He had decided long ago that peaceful everyday life was something he wouldn't want for his life.

After graduating from Raijin Academy, Orihara Izaya had been giving valuable information most especially to Yakuza, thus, his job as an information dealer. His involvement with the "underground world" was, of course, something not-very-normal for a person's life. Each day, he was dealing with different groups that continue to seek him for the information that he could give for their own different purposes. He did not care how these groups used his information; he was actually glad because after obtaining their desired facts, interesting things would definitely be there for him to observe.

And he loved to observe. Especially humans, as he called them as if he was not of the same species, their emotions and interactions were his source of entertainment; his cure of boredom.

As time passed, his business with the local Yakuza became more normal to him, like he predicted. His attention then shifted to Ikebukuro and its happenings. Ikebukuro had always been his favorite city; offering so much eccentricities. Such things were the existence of the dullahan as the city's resident, the fighting doll or rather the only human he had so much dislike, Heiwajima Shizuo, color gang wars and the 'colorless gang' namely DOLLARS.

He did not have any reason to stop being an information dealer so he still worked as one while creating little disturbances in his favorite district. However, he spent more of his time in wandering the always crowded streets of the city and 'pushing a little'/encouraging/shoving docile-looking gang leaders, head-searching fairies, evil sword-wielding girls, past-impaled shoguns into something that would turn his going-back-to-the-boring-normal world into his ideal 'abnormal' one.

Of course, Ikebukuro did not fail him. Rather, the occurrences of the past one year happened to attract someone's attention and opened a new door to a much more exciting world for Orihara Izaya.

That someone was none other than Reborn: number one hitman of the underground world, tutor to the heirs of prestigious Italian Mafia families, most trusted confidant to the Ninth boss of the Vongola Famiglia and known as the 'sun arcobaleno'.

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><p>Inside an abandoned warehouse, somewhere in Ikebukuro was a small room occupied by five men. One of the men, a huge guy with a purple bandanna around his neck, was sitting on a tattered couch placed in the middle of the room. Around him stood the other four, his lackeys, the useless people who were with him when 'that' incident happened. He winced at the memory of that afternoon, the scene of a brunet dragged by a raven-haired teen and the insolent boy who had the guts to- to- kick him. He looked at his lower middle part and then glared at his lackeys. His face showed the rage he felt because of the embarrassing incident and the four lackeys could only gulp at the man who was giving them the rage-filled look and who was also tapping his foot impatiently.<p>

The door to the room suddenly burst opened and revealed another man, a skinny guy whose hair looked like a mop. The skinny mop-haired man immediately went towards the man on the couch and was panting heavily. However, the sitting man did not give any considerations and welcomed the newcomer with a loud outburst.

"Where the fuck have you been? Are you so slow that it took you two hours just to know who and where those kids are?" a vein could be seen bulging on the man's head as he spat his words to the skinny mop-haired guy who shivered at his leader's fury.

"I-I'm soo- sorry boss. But it was really hard to find those kids. Every time we approach people to ask about them, they actually run away."

"Of course they'll run away, you idiot! We are the Purple Limascon Gang!" the man was already preparing to stand and punish the idiot guy. The four other men looked at their fellow member and pitied the newcomer but they did not bother to stop their boss' actions. When the boss reached the skinny man, he spoke again hurriedly in his defense.

"But- but- boss! We managed to discover the identity of the blonde kid who- er-" the skinny guy looked at his boss' lower middle but the man already grabbed the poor guy's collar.

"Fucking say it already! Then continue searching for those bastards!"

"Well, the guy we cornered was previously part of Blue Squares and told us that the blonde guy matched the description of the former Yellow Scarves' shogun."

Upon hearing this piece of information, the angry boss suddenly stopped his harassment on his lackey and released his hold on the poor guy's collar. The guy slumped on the floor and looked up to his boss once more. He sighed to himself in relief when he saw that his group's discovery had calmed the boss down. He got up and with a little courage continued his report. It looked like the boss was not-so-angry anymore and was expecting more from him.

"Apparently boss, the shogun went missing for months after that incident one year ago. Then, a rumor spread among the inactive color gangs that he had joined the DOLLARS ranks. But, the rumor was never confirmed so it didn't last long and was not able to reach us."

No one spoke after that and silence filled the room. The four men who were there all along and the skinny mop-haired guy who delivered the report held their breaths as they anticipated the next move of their boss.

The boss faced his lackeys and opened his mouth. He spoke to them, calmly and schemingly.

"So, the kid was the former Yellow Scarves boss. Pathetic. Groveling at his enemy's feet after the defeat of his own gang. Che-"

"So, what do we do now boss?"

At this, the Purple Limascon leader went to the tattered couch and sat on it comfortably, a menacing grin could be seen in his face.

"Send some men and target the bastard." he ordered and looked at his lackeys "Aside from his debt to me because of what he did earlier" there was a tone of hate when he said this. "if the rumors are true, there's a big possibility that he knows the identity of the DOLLARS leader since it was his gang and DOLLARS conflict a year ago that stopped the activities of other colour gangs in this city. It has been our goal ever since to find out who is behind that disgusting goody-goody gang and present him to our benefactors."

The lackeys nodded to themselves when they heard this. It was the primary reason why their gang was not yet confronted by the authorities with all the things they're involved with. It was part of the deal that Purple Limascon would be under their benefactors care but they also demanded that the gang present them the DOLLARS leader. They never knew why they had so much interest to the DOLLARS boss but then, they also never cared so the boss accepted the deal. However, they discovered that the identity of the DOLLARS' leader was seriously hidden that even its own members did not know who started their now very large group. This lead to more and more entrapment of suspected DOLLARS which caused unnecessary encounters with the more active and stronger members of the said group.

"When we present them the fucking leader, there will be no one in the path of Purple Limascon's ascension in Ikebukuro. DOLLARS will seriously fall like the Yellow Scarves and the Blue Squares. We will crush other colour gangs, active or inactive and our reputation will greatly spread throughout Tokyo and even throughout the country."

A laugh followed the declaration and shuffling noises of five Purple Limascon members leaving the room were heard. They were contacting their own groups to find the Yellow Scarves shogun: their ticket to the DOLLARS leader and to their rise to power.

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><p>Tsuna was already far from the small tea shop he and Orihara Izaya had stayed for almost one and a half hours. He did not realize the time he spent there because of some interesting things the information broker had shared with him. He had not believed it at first but somehow, his intuition told him that the man was not lying when they were talking so it looked like all of the things the man had told him was the truth.<p>

He was now clutching the strikingly yellow envelope that the information dealer had given him after their talk. Apparently, it was the files that Reborn had demanded from the information dealer and the thing he needed so that he could go back to Namimori. Of course, he was not able to see the contents of the envelope as it was sealed and he was threatened by Reborn to not look at his tutor's files. Before, he actually did not care what would be in the envelope but after hearing the stories of a certain Orihara Izaya, he was not so sure if he could contain his curiosity about Reborn's files.

He remembered what had happened in the small tea shop and wondered how related the information dealers' stories were to the files of Reborn.

"_So, what would you like to know Tsuna-kun?"_

_Tsuna looked up at the grinning information dealer in front of him. He was still confused with the man's actions and could not think of any move that would get him the files quickly. The first part of their conversation was spent with the usual getting-to-know-you questions but Tsuna knew that Orihara Izaya knew more about him than he pretends to. And now that they had reached the part of their conversation wherein Tsuna would have a chance of asking the man anything that would interest him (Izaya told Tsuna that this would be the payment he promised before), Tsuna was already at a lost on what to do next. As of now, the only thing that he could do was play along and chat with the talkative guy. _

_'But what should I ask him? I don't have something that I particularly want to know from him.' the brunet searched his head for any topic so that after talking, the man would be satisfied and just give him Reborn's files already._

"_Hmmm... You don't have any particular question for me that really interest you huh?" As usual, Izaya had analysed the boy before him. "I'm sad that the Vongola Decimo does not want to talk to me any longer." Izaya pouted in his mock hurt. Tsuna's eyes bulged guiltily and told the information dealer that that was not the case._

"_But it would rude of me if I do not fulfill my promise to the Vongola Decimo!" Tsuna groaned to himself with this. "So, I will just choose the topic for you Tsuna-kun. Who knows, maybe you would make use of this information real soon." There was a knowing look in the eyes of the information dealer and Tsuna suddenly felt that somehow, maybe it was alright to stay a little longer to hear about Izaya's topic._

_A sigh then the Tsuna spoke up. _"_Okay, Izaya-san. I'll listen to it."_

_The information dealer grinned widely and leaned closer to the young Vongola. "Well, this is about the colour gang incident that happened one year ago..."_

Tsuna sighed was surprised that he was already near one of the main streets of Ikebukuro, Sunshine Street. He looked around and saw more people than in the morning. It seems like its already the time when people are already rushing to their homes.

However, what he had noticed was the number of people who somehow had something purple in their attires. This worried Tsuna as he remembered that members of colour gangs wear anything associated with their gang colours. And what gang is associated with the colour purple? Of course, it was the Purple Limascon gang, the gang he had had an encounter with before meeting his two Ikebukuro friends.

And it looked like the gang members who moved in groups were looking at every person who passed by them. Then, they would approach the person who would discreetly walk away quickly from the approaching group as to prevent any contact. This pissed off the members but they did not make any big move yet, as there was too much of a crowd to start a disturbance.

Then, Tsuna saw in an alley way about five Purple Limascon members and a girl wearing a black hat and a long skirt. The girl had a fierce look in her eyes but was uncharacteristically obeying the five men. Tsuna went to the alley way's direction, avoiding the other Purple Limascon members so that no one would notice him planning on helping the girl.

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><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I am still alive.. yeah.. Eventhough I have very good reasons for the update delay (2 months! 0_o how pathetic is that!) I won't bother telling you about them. I just hope you would enjoy the chapter, and that it may not disappoint you... Chapter 4 was rewritten four times actually so I hope you like the one I chose to settle with. Also, I assure you guys that I will NEVER abandon this story..

And to all the people who had spared some of their time to read the last 3 chapters(the alerters, the favers, the reviewers, and silent readers), a thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really hope it was worth your time and this chapter is to make up for all those weeks that I had been a bum to write. As you can see, its part 1 so you can expect a much shorter period of update (1 week perhaps? dunno too... XD I hope I could actually do that) If there are details that confuse you or needed to be elaborated, please tell me. And plot holes! Please tell me if you see any, especially MAJOR ones. And OOC-ness, too. I want my characters to be as IC as possible.

And yes, I'm looking for a beta. Anyone? Pretty please? T^T

PS. When I was rereading this story, I just realized that Kida kicked the PL boss at his most crucial body part. And I said to myself, 'hey! That brilliant move is usually done by girls to harrassing men right?'. So, did anyone realize this too?

PPS. Limascon? anyone who knows what it is? if you do, there's no special meaning in using it for the Purple Limascon gang! hahaha..


	5. Ch5: Setting up the Pieces part 2

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

**APPOINTMENTS**

**CHAPTER 5 :** Setting Up the Pieces part 3

_...from Setting Up the Pieces part 1_

Then, Tsuna saw in an alley way about five Purple Limascon members and a girl wearing a black hat and a long skirt. The girl had a fierce look in her eyes but was uncharacteristically obeying the five men. Tsuna went to the alley way's direction, avoiding the other Purple Limascon members so that no one would notice him planning on helping the girl.

* * *

><p>The narrow alley way led to a wide unoccupied space which looked like a parking lot for an old building. When they reached the farthest corner of the parking lot, the five colour gang members stopped and surrounded the girl with them. The girl looked at the five men and around the place they had led her, trying to assess the place and find any escape routes. She found none.<p>

Looking again at her captors, she spoke to them with narrowed eyes.

"Where is Yumasaki? If you hurt him, I swear I'll -" the girl's threat was cut off by the sound of chuckling from the Purple Limascon members. A muscular man with a purple cap stepped forward in front of the girl. The man who was likely the leader of the group faced the daring girl who was not showing any fear in her current situation.

"I don't think you need to worry about your boyfriend, missy." the girl rolled her eyes at the stupid assumption of the men. 'Yumacchi is not my boyfriend.' was her annoyed come back. Too bad she could not tell them what was on her mind at that moment.

"If you just cooperate, that is." the leader of the mob smiled a sickly sweet smile while the others continued laughing.

"We're very lucky to spot you without your usual companions though." the man continued. " You're a notable member of DOLLARS but we could never approach you in our early assaults since you were usually accompanied by your other DOLLARS friends."

The girl thought of Dotachin, Togusa, Yumasaki and herself and how they were quite hard to handle in battle when they are together (they're little group also participated in some stop-some-colour-gang-members-wrecking-havoc-in-the-city activities). Now that she was separated from her friends, she knew that she had little chance of getting out of her current situation by herself. Not that she doesn't know how to fight; she was not a former Blue Square's member for nothing, but facing five full-grown men was something that she knew would be very difficult even for her.

Two of the gang members moved to both her sides and restrained her by holding her by the shoulder and arms. The leader closed the gap between them and crouched slightly so that their faces were inches away from each other. The girl gulped at this awkward position (she was actually panicking inside as she remembered what always happened when this type of move was done in animes and manga) and turned her face away from the leader.

The leader, amused at what the girl did and proud of himself by making the fierce girl wary of his actions, talked to her again. "It's just simple. You're just gonna answer some questions. So, first things first. I would like you to tell us the identity of your so-called boss in DOLLARS."

The nervousness turned into confusion and the girl furrowed her eyebrows. She never knew who the DOLLARS leader is. She didn't know anyone who knew more than she did. Though she suspected that Dotachin had an idea after the incident one-year ago, he never confirmed it and just shrugged when she tried to ask him. The information dealer, Orihara Izaya, must have known but he was not exactly in contact with her. So, with a smirk, she answered sarcastically. "That was just the dumbest question to ask. No one knows the identity of the leader. It has been the greatest mystery even within DOLLARS and it will always be."

The girl thought that her retort would piss the leader off. But the leader, though irritated by the tone of her answer, just sighed. He had somewhat expected that answer. All of their assaults to suspected DOLLARS members before always resulted in the same manner. He straightened up and eyed the girl who was now back to her fierce composure.

"Aaah.. I expected much. But for the next question, I will not accept any useless answers, I know your capable of answering this. If you refuse to give us what we want, something might happen to your boyfriend."

The girl cursed under her breath and was seriously worried about her friend. 'I just hope Dotachin and Togusacchi are looking for him right now.' Then she looked at the leader and flinched at his next question, there was no way she could answer this even if she knew what to say. She definitely does not plan on betraying her friends.

"Do you know where to find the former Yellow Scarves shogun?"

* * *

><p>As Tsuna approached the narrow alley way, he stopped when three familiar faces suddenly stood near it. He remembered that those three were with the group of Purple Limascon gang members he met before. He recognized the thin guy with the nose piercings and the stout guy with the oversized shirt and of course, the boss of the Purple Limascon Gang.<p>

'And I thought I could go back to Namimori now.' Tsuna swore lady-luck always found a way to bully him, with all the strange happenings he was currently experiencing. He's supposed to ride the train by this time, he already had Reborn's file, so why was he still there?

'The girl in the alley way.' Tsuna reminded himself as he watched the stout man leave his companions and the other two proceed to the opposite direction.

'Something big is happening if even the boss is going around the town.' Then something struck Tsuna's thoughts. 'Is it because of the incident earlier with their boss? If that's the case, their overreacting.' Tsuna shook his head but couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling he felt after the realization. Do colour gangs really do things to the extent of cornering unsuspecting people just to look for the people who offended their boss? Were they looking for him? Were they looking for Kida and Mikado as well? Questions whirled inside Tsuna's head but he ignored them temporarily when he saw that there were no longer other Purple Limascon members in the vicinity. He proceeded hurriedly to the alley way which led to the old building parking lot and to the girl who was apprehended by the other Purple Limascon members.

When he arrived, Tsuna saw that girl was being held by two of the men while the others were looking at the girl menacingly. When the man who looked like he was conversing with the girl raised his right hand in an act of hurting her, Tsuna immediately (in a flash of orange flames) faced the man and held the raised hand in a tight grip. Then, he spoke to the man coolly. "I don't think hurting a lady is a very good idea."

The man forced his hand from Tsuna's grip but to no avail. So, he just raised his free hand and aimed a punch at Tsuna. Tsuna evaded easily and loosened his grip on the man's right arm. Then he punched the man in the gut enough for him to become unconscious.

The two men who held the girl were surprised at the small boy's victory over their leader. Even the girl was shocked at the sudden turn of events but she snapped out of it quickly; realizing that she now had a chance of escaping. That moment gave the girl the opportunity to trip the man on her right so that they would loosen their grip on her arms. The man became out-balanced and the man on her left was grabbed by his falling comrade. Then, both fell on the ground; the one on top of the other. They hit their heads on the floor and became unconscious just like their leader.

The two other men (she forgot that there were five of them) tried to attack the girl but Tsuna was quick enough to shove her to get out of the way of the attackers. He faced the approaching men and evaded in a way that would lead the two attacking men hit the other 'accidentally'. After some twist and turns, his plan worked: the man who was holding a pipe smashed his weapon on the others head. Then Tsuna went beside the man with the pipe and hit the remaining conscious man behind his neck.

Tsuna glanced at the unconscious(fortunately not dead) bodies of the colour gang members and when he had confirmed that no one would be getting up, he rushed to the side of the girl who was already lying on the ground. He was worried that the girl was hurt when he had shoved her but when he reached the girl's side, he was stunned at the grinning face of the girl who looked at him with sparkly eyes.

"That was unbelievable! You fought with them as if you were some cool prefect who beats* to the death those people who disturb the peace of his town like in some manga." The girl looked at him in awe then looked intently at Tsuna's face and then from head to toe. A wider grin was seen from the face of the girl. "But looking at you now, you look like some ultimate uke protagonist with a harem."

"Huh?" Tsuna did not comprehend half of the girl had said. It was best for him that he did not understand though.

"Oh, never mind. I should be thanking you for helping me out here." the girl was not exactly embarrassed at what she had commented randomly before saying her thanks to the boy. She, then, proceeded to introduce herself.

"My name's Karisawa Erika by the way. For you to help me, I guess you're in DOLLARS too. I'm sooo glad meeting a fellow member like you!" she said this giddily while getting up. Something told Tsuna to just forget the girl's weird ramblings and he spoke to clarify to her that he was not part of DOLLARS.

"Uhmm.. Actually, I'm not from around here." the girl, Erika, eyed Tsuna questioningly. "I mean, I'm not living here in Ikebukuro, I just visited for the day and I'm not in DOLLARS. Oh, and uhmmm... I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna bowed to Karisawa which was returned with a grin.

"Really.. It's too bad you're not in DOLLARS. But why did you help me? Are you from a different colour gang then? You don't look like the fighting type but your moves before were so cool! "

"Ahh.. No, I'm not part of any colour gang", Tsuna answered 'Technically, Vongola isn't a colour gang right?' ''Well, I saw you with them and you looked like you're being forced to follow them for some reason. My intuition said that I should follow you so..."

"Aww.. You're so kind-hearted that I think you're really perfect as a main character in some manga!"

"Ahahaha..." Tsuna scratched the back of his head upon hearing the girl's new comment. 'Why are all things connected to manga? Is she an otaku?' Tsuna ranted to himself. "You can say that I experienced the same earlier. The assault I mean. But I was lucky enough to be helped by people in DOLLARS too, even though I'm just a visitor here."

Erika just nodded as Tsuna explained briefly his experience with the Purple Limascon Gang. She suddenly became serious as she remembered something. The girl furrowed her brows and cursed herself for not acting quickly. Tsuna looked at the girl who had an unexpected change in actions curiously. Erika then faced Tsuna and looked at him with a grave expression.

"Sawada-san, can I ask you for help again? These guys told me that my partner is also being held by their group. I don't know where he is right now. We were supposed to meet here at Sunshine Street when those men surrounded me and told me that if I did not follow them, he'll be in danger. Also, I think someone I know is their main target and that's the reason why there were many Purple Limascon members moving around the district."

Tsuna did not expect the sudden request of the girl he had just saved. Even though he felt wary, there was no way he could refuse her request. 'Looks like whatever I do, I'll be involved in whatever is happening in this city huh?' Tsuna heaved a deep sigh, resigned to his fate and nodded to the girl.

"Let's go and find your friends then, Karisawa-san."

"Erika is fine. Thank you very much Sawada-san."

"You can call me Tsuna Erika-san."

"Okay, thanks again Tsuna-chan."

With that, Tsuna and Erika left the parking lot in search for the girl's friends: Yumasaki Walker , her partner, Kyohei Kadota and Togusa Saburo, her senpais and of course, Masaomi Kida, the former Yellow Scarves shogun and current target of the Purple Limascon gang.

* * *

><p><em>Beep... Beep... Beep... busy<em>

_Beep... Beep... Beep... busy_

_Ring... Ring... Ring... at last!_

"Who are you calling Erika-san?" Tsuna asked the otaku girl. Erika held her hand up, silencing the inquiring brunet. Then, she heard a soft click and was greeted by a familiar voice of a man.

'Hello?'

"DOTACHIIIN! HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU WITH YUMACCHI AND TOGUSACCHI?"

'Your voice is too loud.' a deep voice responded to the girl. 'We're okay, I guess. But it's only me and Togusa here. I thought Yumasaki went to meet you there at Sunshine Street.'

The girl now looked anxious when she heard that her partner was still not with their senpais. So she told her senpai about the assault she experienced and that Yumasaki must still be facing other members of the Purple Limascon gang at the moment.

'Then, we should go and find him immediately. Actually, some gang members got to us too before you called us. They fought us the moment they saw us so there was no time for talk. Good thing someone helped you there while we're not around. Tell the guy he has our thanks too." Erika told Tsuna the message and the brunet nodded in recognition.

'We should go now. I'll contact you again if we managed to find Yumasaki.'

"Dotachin wait! Can you also look for Kida-kun? I saw him and Mikado-kun together in that area when I was on my way here. I think he's their main target of this huge fiasco. But they don't know his name, just his former- title."

'Okay. Good luck and contact us too if you find Yumasaki.'

The connection was cut-off quickly and Erika had ushered Tsuna to follow her in finding her partner. Tsuna just walked beside her quietly, thinking about Erika's conversation on the phone.

Tsuna was alerted when Erika had told her senpai that Kida was the main target of the colour gang. He wondered why and immediately thought of the most possible reason for the huge search for the blonde.

'So, it's really because of the incident earlier! But why am I not targeted too? Perhaps because Kida was the one who had that kick and knew he was in DOLLARS. Looks like this thing is all my fault after all!'

Tsuna's thoughts were in turmoil. He couldn't believe that what had happened to him earlier led to something as big as this. And his rescuers were the one to suffer the consequences of the encounter, not him.

Too bad, Tsuna was still unaware that it not solely his fault. Not at all.

* * *

><p>After some minutes of walking aimlessly, the otaku girl and the brunet had reached a more secluded place near the end of Sunshine Street. As they surveyed the place, Tsuna had heard something akin to crashing noises and screaming men. Erika heard it too when the noises became louder and louder. Then, the two teens turned to the direction of the noise and stared wide-eyed at the eight huge men that came rushing towards their direction, their faces full of panic and fear. Tsuna understood why the men were in such a hurry when he caught a glimpse of a huge vending machine fast approaching the eight men and of course, towards them.<p>

"Erika-san, duck!" Tsuna covered the girl's head with his right hand and forced her to crouch down with him. The men who were being chased by the projectile had dispersed but two of them were still caught by the flying vending machine. The machine flew past above their heads; both of them felt the force of the fast moving object as it crashed to the ground. The two got up to their feet, Tsuna helping the otaku girl while the other had a tint of red on her face because of the brunet's gesture.

"You alright?" Tsuna asked the otaku girl who nodded in thanks.

"Yup! Thanks again Tsuna-chan!"

"Erika!" a shout was heard from the direction where the vending machine came from and a teen with light brown hair with some bruises on the face stood there looking at the unfamiliar brunet and his friend.

"Yumacchi!" Erika answered back at her partner. She tried to approach her partner but stopped when the six Purple Limascon members who survived the flying vending machine had rushed and surrounded the her and the brunet.

The girl's partner, Yumasaki, winced at the scene before him. He had just barely survived the attack of the colour gang members but now his close friend and the guy with her were the ones in danger. They could fight the men if he was just not exhausted! Darn it!

But then, his hope went up when he heard the steps of the man who had just thrown a vending machine to the men who were giving him his almost last hit to receive.

The blonde man in his early twenties wearing a bartender's suit twitched when he saw that there were still six annoying Purple Limascon thugs surrounding two helpless(oh, how wrong he is!) kids. He saw a lamp post at the side walk and went to it, pulled it with all his strength and glared at the six panicking men. "You guys touch those kids and I swear this thing will definitely make its way to your heads."

The men gulped and ran away, terrified of the doll; the strongest man in Ikebukuro.

Heiwajima Shizuo, still annoyed that he was again involved himself in violence, threw the lamp post to the direction of the running and scared Purple Limascon gang members.

* * *

><p>"<em>The darks are still in pursuit of the ryou and ryuma while the crystal king has finally decided to join the fray. I thought they'll just be the main players but the crystal king has attracted more interesting people into this game, I'm impressed. The keishas, the kyosha and the ginsho. Tsk. Even the kinsho. The black pawns are still waiting for their turn. This is getting interesting..."<em>

A certain information dealer suddenly phoned his secretary and told the moves of the said pieces of the game.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I updated sooner than I expected.. Sigh.. I swear this is addiction.. Why am I updating when academics demands too much paper works, thesis, kernel hacking, RFID's, exams and stuff? Well, I just loved your feedback that I can't help but write the next chapter the day after I posted chappie 4. And so, this is my thanks to all of you! (reviewers, alerters, favers and silent readers/lurkers) =3 3

And special thanks to those who spared some thoughts about the story:

**TouchingTheSkyInMyDreams **(hope Tsuna's actions on the later chapters would interest you more)

**dJhamystery **(I really hope the grammar improved a little on the newest chapters.. or not..)

**Blackqueenwhite**(oh! Shizuo came! I was excited when he came into the fray! Yay!)

**Kai Luna**(I'm happy you didn't find Tsuna to be OOC.. )

**Failing Wings**(Thanks for commenting!)

**yumeniai**(I'm aware of my unusual sentence structures, my elementary English teacher had pointed it to me once. I think its because I'm more of a technical paper writer than a narrative person. I dunno how to make them more normal actually.. hehehehehe... uhmm.. again.. beta-reader?)

**pink chayito**(Hope you like what you see in the future chapters!)

(Thanks for pointing out the weird details, I'll keep them in mind next time. =3)

**mistyfoxmaid**(Thanks!)

**JavaBean**(I'm not very confident about Izaya, I'm so happy you liked how I wrote him.) 

**shoujogirlfan**(Thank you! I also love Tsuna! Who doesn't? XD)

**Taira-keimei**(The boss mask was a random thought. I also figured it would be difficult for Tsuna to face Izaya normally but for some reason I wanted the adorable not-boss Tsuna to handle Izaya's craziness. I love Unrelenting Fate btw. Dark Tsuna FTW! I'm going to try and do angsty KHR next time with my dying will! )

**anime-lyric**(you're too kind! I'm too overwhelmed by your comments I don't know how to respond! *does a dogeza*)

**Eggbert 3000**(Bwahahaha! I can't wait for action too!)

**Emina Minami**(Thank you! And yes, I updated! =3)

**Yorukifon**(I tried my best to update! Hope it was to your liking! ^A^)

**9tail-Naruto**(Aww.. A potential beta turned stone. You can still change your mind! Join me as I procrastinate my acads just to write this story! Joke.. No, don't be like me. Hahaha...)

**TripOverFlatSurfaces**(I laughed when you said Purple Watchamacallits! Hahaha.. I derived the Limascon from the geometric figure Limacon which looks like heart rotated 90 degrees. r=1+cosθ.. In layman's terms, twisted purple hearts, gay-ish name I know. I lied when I said ther was no special meaning. *evil grin* And you guessed right! Yeah! Erika at her fujoshi best!)

Sorry if my rants are longer this chapter, I just wanted to make that shout out even once in my life! I'll shut up for the next chapters and try to respond to reviews in mail, I promise! XD

The pieces and their meanings will be revealed after this arc is finished.. yes, there is still part 3.


	6. Ch6: The Pieces Are Finally Set

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

**APPOINTMENTS**

**CHAPTER 6 :** The Pieces Are Finally Set, the Real Game Begins

_...from Setting Up the Pieces part 2_

"_The darks are still in pursuit of the ryu-o and ryu-ma while the crystal king has finally decided to join the fray. I thought they'll just be the main players but the crystal king has attracted more interesting people into this game, I'm impressed. The keishas, the kyosha and the ginsho. Tsk. Even the kinsho. The black pawns are still waiting for their turn. This is getting interesting..."_

A certain information dealer suddenly phoned his secretary and told the moves of the said pieces of the game.

* * *

><p>Shizuo stood near the spot of the lamp post he had previously uprooted with his arms folded in front of his chest. A look of irritation can be seen from the blonde's face as he waited for the kids who had gotten themselves stuck in the same situation he was in. He saw the black-haired girl hover at the boy he had saved earlier as she frantically talked to him about his condition. Looking intently, Shizuo recognized the two to be the kids who were in Kadota's circle. The other kid, the spiky-haired brunet whom Shizuo did not recognize at all, was sitting near the girl and was helping a little in calming the seemingly hysterical teen.<p>

He put his hand on his forehead and massage his aching head. His day had started normal but somehow, he was there and had himself involved in some trouble again. He then sighed as he recalled the events that had recently happened to him.

Like any other day, Shizuo accompanied his employer, the dreadlocks upperclassman Tanaka Tom in his venture in collecting money from his debtors. It was a rather good day for both men since three out of five of the debtors they were scheduled to meet easily gave in to the blonde bodyguard's threats when they tried to refuse to pay. The two unfortunate guys who were dumb enough to deny their debts until the end however, were of course beaten up by the blonde and were left unconscious in their semi-trashed homes. All of that had occurred before noon.

And while they were going to their next destination after they had taken their lunch, Tom suddenly got an important phone call and decided to end their work for that day. So, the two parted ways earlier than usual. Since it was still early, Shizuo decided not to go home yet and walk around Ikebukuro to visit some stores.

However, in his way to the nearest store in the area, he had overheard two guys who were talking about the upcoming movie of his younger brother, the male idol Hanejima Yuuhei. The comments the two were spouting were not exactly the type of comments the blonde wanted to hear; so he faced the snickering duo and held the two tightly by the shoulder. The blonde's actions startled the two men and they turned to frighten the man who was daring enough to grab Purple Limascon members. But after seeing the frown of the strongest man in Ikebukuro, the two gulped and saw a fist fast approaching their faces. Shizuo let go of the annoying men who had the guts to insult his younger brother's movie and acting skills.

Two more incidents involving men in some purple garments had crossed Shizuo's path after. The first one was three men cornering a thin man in glasses asking for money. Before the frightened man had handed the men's demand, Shizuo noticed a trash can beside the street and threw it to the men. The gesture effectively scared the guys away leaving the thin guy in glasses still with his cash but with black smudges on his clothes and bag.

He fought two other men in the second incident. The offending party actually targeted him of all people. He quickly defeated the two unlucky beings with a roundhouse kick and an uppercut. Apparently, his seemingly good day had definitely been ruined.

And so, after all the ruckus, Shizuo wanted to just go home. And in his way to his home, there he saw the eight people ganging up on the boy with the light brown hair. This made the man in bartender's suit finally snap, so he picked up the nearest vending machine and threw the object towards the gang members with all his might.

His thoughts were disrupted when he saw the fidgeting figure of the spiky-haired brunet in front of him. It looked like the kid was telling him something and he was not listening.

"Uhmm... kid... Can you repeat what you said? I, well, did not catch that." The blonde tried to sound as if he was truly listening.

"Err- sorry if I'm rumbling uhmmm..." the boy looked guilty and Shizuo knew that it was not the boy's fault that he was not able to understand what he tried to say.

"Heiwajima Shizuo, Shizuo will do. What were you saying again? Sorry, I was half-listening." Shizuo did not know why but he suddenly felt his annoyance fade away that he admitted not listening. Thank God he was calming already.

"Shizuo-san, Erika-san told me to ask you if you know any clinic in the area. Looks like uhmm... Yumasaki-san needs immediate treatment, he had a large wound on his thigh and it's bleeding."

Shizuo was shocked that he was not able to notice the boy's wound and pondered about it for a moment. He decided that that place is the nearest clinic in the area to treat such wound.

"I know a place. It's in an apartment near Kawagoe Highway just a five-minute walk from here. Does the kid need some assistance?" Shizuo looked at the raven-haired girl while she helped the light-brown boy stand on his feet. Seeing the blood on the boy's pants, he had went to the injured boy's side and carried him on his back.

"This is faster right?" the boy on his back grumbled but said an ok while the girl and the brunet nodded and smiled at the man. This seem to affect the blonde as he nodded to the two teens. Then he spoke again.

"Let's get going before your friend losses all his blood. By the way, what will I call you kids? All I know is this guy and the girl are Kadota's kids." Shizuo looked at the girl and the boy on his shoulder then continued "Should I call you just that?"

"We're not Dotachin's kids!" chorused the girl and injured boy. The brunet looked at the other two teens amused.

"I'm Karisawa Erika. You can call me Erika, Shizuo-san." Erika smiled brightly at the blonde.

"I'm Yumasaki Walker." the injured boy smiled despite the pain in his thigh.

"And you kid? I don't think you're in Kadota's circle too."

"Ahh yes... I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, you can call me Tsuna, Shizuo-san. Thanks for helping us out there. You were really... strong." Tsuna looked at Shizuo praying that he did not offend the man.

"Of course Tsuna! Since you're just visiting Ikebukuro, I guess you don't know that Shizuo is somewhat a legend here. He's definitely the strongest man in Ikebukuro." the cheery comment from Erika did not make Shizuo any happy in the least.

"Wow really?" Tsuna looked up at Shizuo while he tried to ignore the admiring gaze.

"You're a visitor? How come you're involved in this mess?" Shizuo asked the brunet curiously.

Tsuna sighed and answered the blonde's inquiry truthfully. "Well, I can say that I have quite a bad luck and is usually involved in some trouble in some way."

This perked up the blonde and nodded at the brunet. "I think I can relate to that."

Shizuo stopped in front of a large apartment building and warned his current companions.

"Here we are. Just don't be disappointed with the doctor, he's really weird but he's good."

* * *

><p>"Anri-san has messaged me and said that she would be staying out of town until tomorrow. She still needs to settle some stuff about her previous family business or something so I guess we don't need to go to the station now."<p>

Mikado closed his phone and looked at his best friend. He noticed that Kida was looking at the crowd with a very serious face. He followed his best friend's gaze and saw what had made Kida uncomfortable.

The man with the purple bandanna on his neck in their earlier encounter was grinning at them eerily. Beside him was another man they had encountered when they rescued Tsuna from the assault of the color gang. Around them were at least ten members, posing as bystanders in the crowded area. Mikado nudged Kida then Kida whispered to his Mikado.

"I think they are here for us, or well me."

Mikado was surprised at his best friend's comment. Why would they look for them?

"You mean, the incident earlier?" Mikado's eyes widened at the realization. "If that's so, then Tsuna must have been targeted too!"

Kida patted his best friend's shoulder and told him quietly, "Don't worry about Tsuna. I think by this time, he's already on the train going back to Namimori. Didn't he tell us that Izaya will just give him something and then he would immediately go back?"

"Right." Mikado sighed in relief that their new friend won't be caught up another time in this color gang things. "But why do you say that they're after us?"

"Because of the unusually high number of assaults today after our rescue to Tsuna. You have given about five replies to help assaulted DOLLARS since then right?"

Mikado was stunned that he was not able to notice the certain detail. Inhaling, he asked his best friend. "So, what do we do?"

Suddenly, a woman in purple tube walked towards the direction of the two teens and handed a paper to them. Mikado saw the purple color gang members disperse and leave the area. He was puzzled by the movement but was relieved that the gang members were already gone. That was until he read what the message in the paper said.

_YELLOW SCARVES SHOGUN,_

_WE WILL WAIT FOR YOU IN THE OPEN AREA NEAR THE IKEBUKURO SOUTH GATE. IF YOU DO NOT TURN UP WITHIN 15 MINUTES, WE WILL DECLARE AN ALL-OUT-WAR TO YOUR NEW CHERISHED GROUP DOLLARS._

_BRING NO ONE._

Mikado gasped and Kida look tensed. There was a deafening silence until Kida broke it. "They found out."

"Masaomi..." Mikado stared at the blonde teen, concerned at the next steps that his best friend would do.

"Mikado, I'm going. I won't allow another large scale incident to happen again. Don't worry, I think they'll just do on me some beating since I kicked their boss on the soft spot." He chuckled and winked at the raven-haired teen.

"You should do your job and warn everyone in DOLLARS. I'll find a way to contact you if something goes wrong. The leader should be on his toes at all times."

"But-" Mikado's reply was cut-off since Kida had already ran to the direction of the place where the paper had indicated. Mikado clenched his fist and followed his best friend discreetly.

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang to the top-floor apartment building on Kawagoe Highway. The owner of the apartment, a man in glasses and white-coat was busily cleaning his medical equipment inside the room which served as clinic to his patients. The other occupant of the apartment was inside the kitchen cooking a weird variety of curry. She was wearing her normal skin-tight clothing. However, the said occupant can be considered weird. Why? Because she (yes, she is a woman) has no head. The other occupant is known as a dullahan, an Irish headless fairy.<p>

That aside, the dullahan noticed that the doorbell was ringing and decided to be the one to open the door since the other man is definitely busy in his own little medical world. She picked up her yellow helmet with cat-ears design and put in on so that the people who were on the door (which are probably patients) will not freak out if they see her headlessness. Not that she was ashamed of it, the dullahan just knew that the normal people will definitely have the negative reactions.

She opened the door and found a man carrying a light-brown haired boy, a short brunet and a black-haired girl. She knew three of them but was not familiar with the brunet boy. She invited the visitors to come in. How could she do that if she did not have a head? Simple, she produced a PDA and typed her thoughts away.

[Shizuo, come in. What happened to him?]

Shizuo walked briskly to the room for the patients. He opened the door loudly and eyed the doctor who was shocked at the entrance of the blonde and his company.

"Color gang mess. He's injured on his thigh. The wound's quite large. Can you do something about it Shinra?"

"Of course, I can. Shizuo, don't you trust the one who treats your life-threatening injuries? This is no comparison to yours actually." The doctor, Kishitani Shinra, beamed widely as he teased his favorite patient.

"Tsk. Stop being annoying and treat him immediately!" Shizuo walked to the nearest chair and sat on it. He was actually tired of carrying Yumasaki.

"Shizuo-san, thanks for carrying me." The injured boy bowed to the man in the bartender's suit as he was tended by the doctor.

"Hmm..."

Celty noticed how exhausted the blonde was so she got out of the room and returned with a pot of tea. Fortunately, she had brewed enough for eight people while she was preparing for dinner. She handed the cups of tea to the raven-hared girl, the brunet and to Shizuo. The others she put down the near table.

[You alright?] The dullahan turned to the blonde and showed her PDA.

"Yeah... Just tired. Thanks for the tea, Celty" Shizuo handed the now empty cup to the dullahan. She simply put the cup to the near table as well.

[So, care to explain?]

Shizuo looked at the dullahan and shrugged. Then, he answered. "You can ask them, I'm to tired to narrate those annoying events."

Celty turned to the black-haired girl and the brunet. She typed in her PDA and showed it to both of them. However, the message was addressed to Erika.

[Erika, long time no see. Care to tell me what happened? And who is your friend here?]

"Oh, Celty-san, I didn't know you live in here. Anyway, we were assaulted by Purple Limascon Gang. It's a long story actually. And by the way, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi, you can call him Tsuna-chan! He's a visitor here in Ikebukuro." Erika tapped Tsuna on the back which made him off-balanced and knock Celty's PDA.

Tsuna saw his mistake and went to pick up the gadget immediately. Celty, on the other hand, was quite amused at the clumsiness of the brunet. She knelt down to get her PDA as well, telling Tsuna it was okay as he muttered a series of apologies. While getting up, however, Tsuna accidentally knocked Celty's helmet with a little force and the helmet rolled on the floor.

All the people inside the room stopped on whatever they were doing and looked at the dullahan and to Ikebukuro's visitor. Shizuo, Yumasaki, Erika and even Shinra wondered if Tsuna was aware of the headless rider urban legend of Ikebukuro.

"HIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

><p>Tsuna looked at the non-existent head of the woman in front of her. And then his gaze fell on the helmet that has finally stopped rolling on the floor. He felt stunned for a few minutes until a he heard a cough and saw the doctor moving to the helmet and giving it back to the headless woman, Celty. Then, he returned to his patient as if nothing happened and continued to put aid on Yumasaki's bruises and scratches. Finally, someone had broken the silence.<p>

"Err- Tsuna, this is Celty-san. But she's more famous in Ikebukuro as the black rider or the headless rider." Erika awkwardly introduced Celty to Tsuna. She was aware that the only person who doesn't know about Celty's lack of head is Tsuna, but she did not expect such an incident to occur and finally reveal Celty's uniqueness to the Ikebukuro visitor.

The first DOLLARS gathering had confirmed the headlessness of the black rider but she and Kadota's circle knew her because of some incident after the Yellow Scarves-DOLLARS fiasco. And it looked like Shizuo knew her secret as well. Now, how can she explain it to the brunet?

"Err- Uhmmm... Nice to meet you Celty-san." Tsuna seemed to calm down and taking it all too well. "I'm so sorry if I screamed. I was just surprised very much."

[That's okay. That should be the normal reaction anyway. It's actually good to see a normal one after getting weird reactions from this people here.]

"Weird reactions? Really? What is a weird reaction anyway?" Tsuna looked the people around him and saw that all of them knew the woman's secret.

[Well, weird includes squealing, shrugging it off and anything in the bounds of not being scared.]

"You're not scary if I see you headless after talking to you for like ten years." Shizuo said suddenly.

"But, it's like in an anime right Yumacchi? Isn't it squeal-worthy?" Erika looked at her partner and both grinned at remembering their first time seeing Celty without the helmet.

"Celty, you know I love you for over twenty years. Why will I be scared of you?" the doctor flirted while still working on his patient.

[Didn't I say weird?]

"Yeah..." Tsuna could not agree more. "But thinking about it, I think Izaya-san had mentioned you while we were talking."

Shizuo tensed at the name Tsuna had mentioned. He suddenly spoke and seemed angry at something. "What? The flea is here in Ikebukuro! And you talked to him? Why?"

Tsuna felt fear at the gaze(or had it turned into a glare?) of the man who was kind and calm a while ago. He gulped and uttered his answer to the blonde's question. "Uhmm... If the flea is Izaya-san, yes I talked to him since my purpose here in Ikebukuro is to get something for my tutor from Izaya-san. I was kind of going home when I saw Erika-san being assaulted by the Purple Limascon Gang."

"Tsk. If the flea is here in Ikebukuro, no doubt he's the one pulling some strings in all this mess and it's not an accident that you're now involved. I will definitely kill that flea when I meet him!"

Tsuna was wide-eyed at the sudden change of the blonde man's attitude. Shinra, finally finished tending Yumasaki, hooked his arms on the brunet's shoulders and told him in a rather cheerful voice.

"Don't worry about it. Izaya and Shizuo are always like that ever since we were in high school. It's there way of saying 'I love you' to each other."

"SHUT UP! PERVERTED DOCTOR! THIS WORLD IS BETTER OF WITHOUT THAT FLEA!"

The people inside the room only laughed at the intense irritation of the strongest man in Ikebukuro. Even Tsuna could not help but chuckle at the sudden vigor of the blonde man. However, he tensed when the doctor, Kishitani Shinra, whispered to his ear.

"Ne I wonder, is it alright for you Vongola Decimo to be involved in this? Won't this risk your identity? I mean, you just need to get those files from Izaya for Reborn-san right? Oh well, I don't have any say to your decisions but surely if you need my help, I'll gladly come."

Then, Erika's cellphone rang. All fell silent as the girl answered the call. It was from Kadota.

"DOTACHIN! Yumasaki's with me! Sorry if I was not able to contact you, it slipped my mind."

_'Thank goodness. How is he?_'

"He's injured, but we are here in Celty-san's apartment near Kawagoe Highway because her boyfriend is a doctor."

_'You mean Shinra? OK, I know where that is. Also, I need a doctor too. Togusa is injured as well.'_

"Is Tousacchi alright? What happened?"

_'He's fine for now. I'll tell you later. And hey, Kida is with me. He's unconscious but fine overall. Just some bruises here and there.'_

"Thank goodness. He's their target. Now that he's with us, we no longer need to worry about that gang wrecking havoc."

_'There's one problem. They took Mikado instead of Kida.'_

* * *

><p><em>The ryu-o is finally captured by the darks and soon by the black pawns. The ryu-ma is injured . I don't think the kakugyo would do any drastic step, but he knows about the crystal king and the narikei might help the crystal king as well. Now, the game truly begins.<em>

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

YAY! finished with putting all the needed characters together! I can't believe I managed to finish this chapter/arc! haha... I'm suppossed to put many things here but somehow, I can't remember them now. So, I'll just put them next chapter.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! A little tribute to all those who love Shizuo! and I really love Shinra and Celty.. XD

My thanks to all who reviewed, alerted, faved and silent lurkers out there... Grazie Tante! Marubdob na Pasasalamat!


	7. Ch7: DOLLARS Reality

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^?^)v

**APPOINTMENTS**

**CHAPTER 7 :** DOLLARS Reality

_...from The Pieces Are Finally Set, the Real Game Begins_

_"The ryu-o is finally captured by the darks and soon by the black pawns. The ryu-ma is injured . I don't think the kakugyo would do any drastic step, but he knows about the crystal king and the narikei might help the crystal king as well. Now, the game truly begins."_

* * *

><p>"Hmmm... I never expected to see the bustling Ikebukuro with so few people roaming at this hour. How very unusual." a certain raven-haired man looked at Ikebukuro's entertainment district from the highest floor of a building in the vicinity. He watched the people as they went on their ways to their homes. Most of them looked wary and were always looking at their surroundings before they hurriedly scuttle like dispersed ants. The observing man once again stated his thoughts.<p>

"Perhaps they are now aware of the activities of some certain groups in the city. That message is so helpful. Now, at least there will be few casualties if this escalated to a full blown war." He smirked at this, his face full of anticipation and excitement. Then, his phone rang and was yet surprised again at the name of the caller. Today, he certainly have received calls from the most unexpected people.

"Oh!~ Hello! It's been a long while the last time you called me? How is it going?" Izaya happily answered his phone. A deep accented voice replied and told him the cause of the call.

"Really? They're looking for him and you told them about me? Then, I must hurry and meet them there. Please tell them I'll be going, okay? Bye!" Izaya abruptly cut the talk and returned his phone in his pocket. He was grinning widely at the new turn of events.

'I swear this game just gets better and better every minute.'

* * *

><p>The people inside the apartment of the underground doctor watched silently as Erika ended the call she had received. She turned to looked at her companions and all of them could see the worry in her face. Yumasaki, the person closest to the otaku girl, knew that something was terribly wrong so he broke the silence and asked his partner.<p>

"What's the matter? How was Kadota-san and Togusa-san?"

"Dotachin is fine but Togusacchi is injured." the brown-haired teen winced at the news of their hurt senpai. The others saw the uneasiness of the girl even though she tried to hide it. Erika continued to tell them about the exchange that happened on the phone.

"That's not all. Kida-kun is with them but is unconscious. His injuries are not that serious fortunately. They're on their way here." the girl looked at the occupants of the apartment. The doctor just nodded his approval and proceeded to his medical kit to prepare for the arrival of the new patients.

"The blonde kid?" Shizuo furrowed his brows when he heard that Kida was unconscious. He knew that the blonde kid was strong and being in that state probably meant he had been in some serious trouble. The news of the otaku girl had diverted Shizuo's thoughts from a certain flea to the current occurrences they are facing.

"Erika-san, when you said Kida-kun, do you mean... Masaomi Kida-san?" Erika had turned to see Ikebukuro visitor's worried expression. Tsuna and Kida had known each other it seemed. She expressed her curiosity to the inquiring brunet.

"Yes. You know him? But you never told me that you have met Kida-kun."

"Really? Ah right. I haven't talked about how we met. Actually, he and -" Tsuna's explanation was cut off when the door bell of the apartment rang the second time that day. Celty and Erika, who dragged Tsuna with her, went to get the door to meet and help the expected visitors.

When they opened the door, there stood a tall guy with a black bandanna on his head carrying a blonde teen on his shoulder. Beside him was a limping guy with shoulder-length hair. Erika quickly went to her limping senpai while Tsuna looked at the unconscious form of his new friend. Celty led them to the clinic room where the others were also waiting. When they entered the room, Shinra immediately ushered the three who had just arrived to the beds prepared by the doctor and Shizuo.

Togusa rested on a bed nearest to Yumasaki while Kadota placed Kida on the bed at the farthest corner of the room. Kadota then, sat on the chair placed at Togusa's bedside and relaxed. He was really tired carrying the blonde kid. Shinra went to Kadota first and started to treat the tall man's bruises.

"I can't believe that in a span of an hour, my precious time alone with Celty would be interrupted. You people kept coming to my house with those injuries as if a war is going on out there." the doctor bitterly mused as he disinfected the large scratch at Kadota's arm. Kadota, despite the stinging feeling of the antiseptic applied to his wound, stayed still and retorted to the doctor's comments.

"I won't be surprised if that happens. As of now, many Purple Limascon members can be seen all throughout the district. There is this message too that warns the people to stay at home tonight. It said that the Purple Limascon gang might be planning something huge against the DOLLARS. The sender is unknown but it is currently causing quite a panic in the DOLLARS discussions."

Surprised that they were not aware of the message, Erika, Yumasaki, Shizuo and even Celty checked their mobile phones to see their archives. It seemed like they all missed so much news in the short time they failed to see the updates.

"I don't see the admin's messages in the recent posts. That's weird. Ever since the Purple Limascon disturbances started, the leader has always been active in giving advices to the members or something." It was Yumasaki who noticed the lack of response of the DOLLARS' leader to the big threat.

Now that there's a rumor going on about the Purple Limascon attacking the DOLLARS, why was the leader not doing anything? Somehow, this reminded the members of the colorless group about the Yellow Scarves-DOLLARS war and the sudden disband of DOLLARS in the midst of the trouble. Was the leader planning on doing that again? The DOLLARS in the room pondered about the same thought; not knowing that all of them was thinking the same thing. They all wondered why their leader was missing at this time when the Purple Limascon gang chose to have such a large scale scheme.

It was then that the Ikebukuro visitor, Tsuna, stated his amazement at the new discovery about the people in the room.

"Uhmmm... Sorry to interrupt but, are all of you, even Shizuo-san and Celty-san, members of DOLLARS?" Tsuna had somehow knew that Erika's partner and senpai were part of the gang. He did not expect Shizuo and Celty's involvement to the very mysterious group though. He also remembered that Kida and Mikado were part of the group as well. It was as if all the people he got along in Ikebukuro are DOLLARS.

The DOLLARS members turned to face the brunet. The brunet's earlier companions realized that Tsuna was the only one who was not a member in the room. Kadota and Togusa who had just arrived were a bit surprised at the presence of the brunet. They were not able to notice him while they were discussing about their group's current situation. Kadota was the one to answer since Shinra was now giving aid to Togusa's injuries.

"Well not all of us anyway. Shinra here is not as well as the kid over there." Kadota pointed at the blonde lying at the farthest bed. "By the way kid, what's your name. I don't think I have seen you in Ikebukuro ever."

Tsuna, who was confused about the man's answer was beaten by Erika in answering the man's question.

"Dotachin! This is Tsuna-chan! He was the one I told you before that helped me." The otaku girl then started her story of Tsuna's heroism that made the brunet embarrassed. The people who did not know about the details of Erika's assault were surprised at what the girl had told them. They were not expecting that the scrawny brunet could actually fight some strong Purple Limascon gang. Even Shizuo was impressed while Erika's friends thanked Tsuna. Tsuna tried to tell them that that was the best thing to do in that moment.

"And I was helped by DOLLARS too when I had a little trouble with the Purple Limascon when I was searching in the city." Tsuna paused and remembered that Kadota just said that Kida was not part of DOLLARS. "Uhmmm... Kadota-san, is Masao- Kida-san really not a member of DOLLARS?"

"That's what I know. You see, because DOLLARS is a group which originated online, one can not know all of the members because of its structure. None of us even know the man behind the DOLLARS group." Celty fidgeted at this. "It's just a bit of coincidence that we all knew each other because of some incident a year ago."

"Was- was it-" Tsuna hesitated but figured that he should probably say it. His intuition was telling him that there was something more about the whole situation and he needed to find out more details as to solve the mystery. "the Yellow Scarves and DOLLARS sort of war?"

"Yeah... That was it. How did you know? You said you were visiting here for the day right? I don't think someone could know so much in just a day's stay." suspicious eyes fell on Tsuna which made him very uncomfortable. He immediately explained his side and boldly asked about that thing that was bothering him.

"I heard the details when I met Izaya-san." nods were seen on the people who knew that Tsuna met the information broker. "But before I met him, my encounter with the Purple Limascon gang happened."

"You were rescued by DOLLARS too right?" Erika restated Tsuna's explanation to her when they met.

Tsuna nodded. "And they are actually Kida Masaomi-san and Ryuugamine Mikado-san."

Kadota's group was confused with Tsuna's story. Celty just stood there watching the other DOLLARS reaction. Shizuo just shrugged but was thinking about what the brunet had said. Erika reacted quickly and commented on the topic.

"But, Kida-kun is not in DOLLARS. He's part of another color gang, previously anyway. I don't think he'll join after-"

"Maybe he joined after that." It was Togusa who had been listening the entire time who expressed his thoughts. "We're not sure who joins in DOLLARS anyways."

"Togusa is right. We don't know who are DOLLARS or not. If Kida told Tsuna that, maybe he was not lying." Kadota was certain that the blonde boy would not be lying about him being in DOLLARS. But what caused him to join?

"Sometimes, I also spot him in one of the rescues too, you know." Shizuo stated nonchalantly.

"But-" Erika was still in disbelief. "if he's in DOLLARS, he might cause more trouble like now. He was the target of the Purple Limascon gang today. They were looking for the former Yellow Scarves shogun."

Silence followed at the otaku girl's revelation. Then, Celty held her PDA up to ask the other companions.

[By the way, I've been meaning to ask this but I can't get the proper timing. Where is Mikado? ]

Kadota and Erika widened their eyes at the dullahan's inquiry. How could they forget about him? Now, that was just so stupid of them. Kadota unusually cursed himself and told them the forgotten important detail.

"When we found Kida, he told us that some people in black suits who worked with the Purple Limascon gang took Mikado. We don't know the other details since he passed out immediately after that. He probably escaped from them but was not able to take Mikado with him."

The people was stunned at serious problems they had to face. Now, there is a rumor which is more likely a threat of war between DOLLARS and Purple Limascon gang, the DOLLARS leader was missing-in-action, Kida is probably the Purple Limascon's target and for him to turn himself in, they took his best friend.

* * *

><p>Tsuna stood there, thinking about the things he had just discovered in his stay in Ikebukuro. For some reason, things were not adding up. Or so he thought. He suddenly remembered the information dealer's words to him in their conversation.<p>

"_Who knows, maybe you would make use of this information real soon."_

'Could it be that Izaya-san somehow knows about what's happening between Purple Limascon and DOLLARS? And what's the significance of the incident one-year ago?' Tsuna was never the one who liked solving puzzles. That was Gokudera's specialty. However, his right-hand man was not with him at the moment and he felt that he was the only person in that room who had doubts about the true reasons of the Purple Limascon gang in all the things that they do.

"_Remember Dame-Tsuna, it is the boss' duty to see underneath the underneath." _Reborn's teaching echoed in the Vongola heir's head._  
><em>

It was still in his mind that maybe Kida and Mikado was targeted by the color gang just because of the incident earlier and just accidentally found out that Kida was the former Yellow Scarves shogun. 'Masaomi-san is the Yellow Scarves shogun!' Tsuna was struck by his line of thought. He was once again reminded by the conversations he had with the people he had met before.

"_Wow.. So the two of you had been friends for so long."_

_"So I guess, this group, DOLLARS, helped me out there a while ago huh?"_

_"You're a very perceptive one, Tsuna-san! But actually, I just recently joined it too. Mikado here, well, had been a member for a long while. Even I didn't notice it until someone told me."_

_"Would you like to indulge yourself to more information? It's my payment for making you tell your new Ikebukoroan friends to leave us and for showing me the Vongola Decimo. And it's actually rather related to the information Reborn payed me for. Related but not in here."_

"_So, what would you like to know Tsuna-kun?"_

"_Well, this is about the incident that happened one year ago. Ikebukuro is known to be the place for the color gangs before that incident happened. Different groups roam around the city and treats it as some sort of playground. And at that time, two groups were known to the people as the largest groups. The Yellow Scarves and the new growing colorless gang DOLLARS."_

"_Because of DOLLARS ascension as one of the strongest groups in Ikebukuro, the Yellow Scarves started to turn their attention to the new group. DOLLARS have no identifying color, the identities of the members and especially, the man behind the group are unknown. This frustrated the current Yellow Scarves group."_

"_Current? That's because the founder of Yellow Scarves resigned because of another conflict to the color gang Blue Squares that happened before DOLLARS as formed. The current members wanted their shogun back but he refused, until some incident happened to his friend concerning the slasher."_

"_The slasher was an individual who slashes his victim. The shogun's friend was attacked by the slasher, so he returned to his throne as the leader to his founded group. It was his goal to know who was the person who hurt his friend."_

"_It was then that rumors spread that the slasher was in DOLLARS. This enraged the Yellow Scarves member's who fell victim to the slasher. The shogun did not act quickly, saying he needed proof and refused to go against DOLLARS."_

"_But then, they somehow confirmed that the slasher was really in DOLLARS. Even so, the Yellow Scarves shogun went to find out who the leader of DOLLARS and went to some distinguished members of the group. Even they were of no help. Finally, he sought advice to the only one who knew the DOLLARS leader's identity and found out that it was his... bestfriend."_

Masaomi-san is the former Yellow Scarves shogun and his bestfriend... Mikado-san, is the DOLLARS leader. And Mikado-san is at the hands of the Purple Limascon gang. Oh, how complicated can this be!

* * *

><p>Story Notes:<p>

Izaya is known to use a board of different pieces from different games(chess, othello,shogi) to depict the current happenings in Ikebukuro. So here are the list of the pieces and their meanings for this particular game. Though, it's up to you guys to figure out who each piece represents.(Some are obvious, some are not) Hint: Izaya is not a piece XD

crystal king

black pawns

black othello pieces

ryuo - dragon king

ryuma - dragon horse

kinsho - gold general

kakugyo - angle mover

narikei - promoted cassia/knight

ginsho - silver general

kyosha - incense chariot

(2) keisha - cassia horse/knight

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I don't know what to think of this chapter, seriously. But I have to really write this down before the actual P*-D*****S *a** **r and **s*ue M*k**o part [Spoiler! But I guess you should know by now that those will happen eh?]. Tsuna and the guys must know them to at least gauge their situation.

Detective Tsuna... I don't know if the train of thoughts was sufficient for him to arrive at the revelation. Sigh... Oh well...

Is the story dragging? Because, I think there are so few things happening. Or not.

I will not cease to thank all those people who spends time in this fic. To all the reviewers, alerters, favers and silent lurkers: Grazie mille! Comments, Suggestions and Violent reactions welcomed. =3


	8. Ch8: Real Motives

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^?^)v

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 8 :** Real Motives

...from DOLLARS Reality

Masaomi-san is the former Yellow Scarves shogun and his best friend... Mikado-san, is the DOLLARS leader. And Mikado-san is at the hands of the Purple Limascon gang. Oh, how complicated can this be!

* * *

><p>Reborn looked at the representative of the medical group to ask permission in answering his ringing phone.<p>

"Go on.. I don't mind..." the man leaned back on his chair and smiled at the arcobaleno. Not that his smile could be seen since he was actually wearing a gas mask.

Reborn clicked the answer button of his Leon-transformed cellphone and heard the voice of the caller.

_'Hello Reborn. I'd say I never thought you'll send all of them here in Ikebukuro. You said I'll only meet your student.'_

Reborn's eyebrows rose at the implication of the caller's words. "Ah... So something happened that they followed Tsuna eh? Tell me, are you involved?"

The man on the other side of the line chuckled and answered the arcobaleno's question. _'As expected, you don't sound worried. Am I involved? Let's just say I did something here and there but like always, most of the time I only observed.'_ Reborn scoffed at the obvious lie. _'You don't believe me? It really just happened that your suspicions are currently happening today of all days. It's really fun!'_

"So they already made their first move huh? Good thing I sent Tsuna there. He will be able to learn to deal with this kind of stuff and solve such problems on his own. He might be able to gain some interesting connections there too."

_'Yes, he has met quite a lot of interesting people. It's really a talent, I tell you. But, you sure he'll be alright confronting that family on his own? They are new but they're cunning. They even did these things in order to prepare.'_

"I don't think they are a threat to Vongola and to Tsuna. He already has an idea about them, it's just that he doesn't know that our meeting and the files are because of that. He'll figure out soon, he's my student after all. If he fails this, he knows what I'll do to him."

_'Of course. It all comes down to you.'_

"Heh."

A beep and the strange call ended. The man wearing the gas mask was seriously curious about the arcobaleno's exchange so he asked him.

"Care to share?"

Reborn went to get his cup of espresso and took a sip from his favorite blend. He eyed the man in front of him and decided that it doesn't hurt to tell the man about the call. He was an old friend after all.

"Just an update on how my student is doing in Ikebukuro. It turns out that a simple meeting led to dealing with a problem I expected to happen further in the future." Reborn massaged his forehead as he thought about his dame of a student. "I just hope he copes up."

"My, my. And you sounded confident a while ago." the man shook his head and removed the gas mask off his face, revealing a smirk to the arcobaleno. Reborn saw the familiar face of the doctor he had worked with in Ireland before he turned into an arcobaleno. "But I didn't know that Vongola has business with Ikebukuro. The Yakuza and the color gangs are the groups that are in control of that place, from what I heard from my son."

Reborn looked at the man in disbelief. "You have a son?"

The man laughed heartily at the reaction of his friend. "Sometimes, I'm surprised too. He is based in Ikebukuro and works there as an underground doctor. I'm really proud that he followed my footsteps in choosing his profession."

"Your son is Shinra." Reborn said knowingly. "I am amazed at how similar the two of you act now that I think about it. It's really a small world eh? Shingen."

"Indeed." the man nodded in agreement. They had never met for so long, and now, they learn that somehow, they still have a connection. "But, how did you know about my son?"

"Ahh... He was introduced to me by my contact in Ikebukuro, an information dealer."

"Orihara Izaya?" the man had a worried expression. "Well, I know that he's like a friend to my son but really, you trust that guy?"

"He's not so bad." Reborn saw the are-you-kidding-me expression of the man and smirked. "Besides, he's really good in what he's doing. I'm even considering to invite him be part of Tsuna's family." Reborn chuckled at what would his student will do if he discovers that Reborn wants Orihara Izaya, a man with Hibari's face and Mukuro's scheming mind, in Vongola.

"Be a part of Vongola Decimo's family, that man? Heavens no. I pray for your student's life." Shingen solemnly clapped his hands in an act of prayer.

Reborn took another sip of the heavenly blend. He pondered again about the details the information dealer had told him and formulated a great plan. Maybe it was a really good idea to gain more family members from the famous district of Ikebukuro. When he gets back to Japan, he'll definitely talk to Tsuna about how his supposed meeting turned out and those interesting people Tsuna had met according to Izaya's report. For now, he'll just stand by and hear from the man if his student could handle and solve the problem at hand.

* * *

><p>Tsuna remained silent while the others discussed what they plan on going to do next. It was clear to everyone that Mikado's rescue was their top priority. Knowing that Kida was already part of DOLLARS, it followed that Mikado was in their group as well. However, it seemed like they were still unaware of Mikado's position as their boss.<p>

And this bothered Tsuna very much. He was conflicted on telling his companions that the reason why the DOLLARS boss was not active in the midst of an upcoming threat was because he is in the hands of the rival gang! But somehow, Tsuna felt that he was in no position to expose his friend's secret; he was actually an outsider in this whole DOLLARS business. If there's someone other than Mikado who has the right to say it, Tsuna thought it should be Kida since he was closest to Mikado.

"I've just received a message that all the Purple Limascon gang members are going to have a gathering. My contact would contact us again when he knows where they are going to assemble." Tsuna's attention turned to Kadota. The man was certainly the most experienced gang member from what Tsuna had seen from earlier. If he did not know well, he would assume that Kadota was one of the people who controlled DOLLARS with those connections he had with the other members, despite their anonymity.

"What? So they are really going to declare war against DOLLARS? And they still have Mikado. What do they really want?" Erika's panicked outburst also made the others uneasy.

"I have some ideas." everyone was shocked that Shizuo was participating at their talk. All ears waited for the Ikebukuro doll to continue. "Well, I think it's the usual. They want to reign over Ikebukuro and they see DOLLARS as a rival. We have established our reputation as not the usual color gang for the past year, thanks to the cooperation of the members. And because of that we are somehow revered and respected all throughout Ikebukuro today."

"But why now? Why did they not do it earlier? Why did they have to assault people DOLLARS or not?" Yumasaki asked.

"Perhaps something triggered the boss to suddenly lash out his anger towards DOLLARS today. You know, in cases like this, it actually depends on the leader." Kadota remembered the Blue Square's leader and Horada and their stupid impulses when angered and pissed off.

"Maybe it was because of our encounter with the gang. I think the boss was there when Kida-san and Mikado-san helped me then." Tsuna offered the reason with guilt. "It has been on my mind for a while. If Kida-san was the former Yellow Scarves shogun, I suspect that they managed to recognize him and that's why he became their target."

"That may be true but - that's not the whole story."

Startled, all faces looked to the direction voice and saw the awakened form of Kida who was trying to get up from the bed.

When he saw his friend struggling, Tsuna hurriedly went to the blonde teen's bedside with Erika. The others followed the two calmly.

"Masaomi-san! You should stay still, you're still injured." Tsuna worriedly stared at the blonde who was shaking his head as if to remove the pounding in his head. He supported Kida so that he could sit properly.

"Tsu - Tsuna. I thought you were already on your way back to Namimori. Why are you still here?" Kida gave the brunet a puzzled look. He was really surprised to see Tsuna in a room with such a weird crowd. Kida then looked up to see Kadota and his circle, the weird doctor and black rider and is that Heiwajima Shizuo?

"Uhmm... Some things happened and I met them." Tsuna laughed awkwardly. He just remembered the way they parted earlier. "Anyway, what happened to you and Mikado-san? So it's really my fault that you were targeted by the Purple Limascon gang and now, Mikado-san is held by them! I'm really sorry!" Tsuna bowed in sincere apology.

The former Yellow Scarves shogun, however, stopped Tsuna from bowing and looked straight at the brunet's chocolate orbs.

"It's not that it's all your fault Tsuna. Don't worry about it. It just happened that because of the incident, they had the opportunity to acquire their true motive." Kida said this grimly. He looked at the people inside the room.

"What do you mean true motive?" Kadota inquired the blonde teen.

"Well," Kida huffed as he prepared for an explanation. "I assume that you already know that I'm in DOLLARS too eh? I think Tsuna has told you about it." He paused to see their reactions.

"Yeah." Erika retorted bitterly while the others looked at each other.

"So, you know that Mikado is in it as well." all of them nodded in agreement. It looks like they figured it out themselves and did not need further explanation.

"I suspected much when I saw him at that conflict one year ago." Kadota commented on Mikado's mysterious status within DOLLARS. Kida flinched at recalling the memory. "But he was still denying it so I stopped questioning him about it."

"Right. There's a reason that Mikado denies being involved in DOLLARS." Kida sighed and braced himself as he told the other DOLLARS members about Mikado's secret. "Actually, Mikado is the one who created DOLLARS."

"Huh?" the people who didn't know about this piece of information gaped at the blonde teen in disbelief.

"You mean - he's the admin? Our leader?" Shizuo wasn't sure if he wanted to believe the confession or not.

"He was the person who handles the site? And does all those upgrades for the convenience of the members? The rumored hacking genius?" Yumasaki, who was actually a fan of the rumored network whiz that was the DOLLARS boss, was trying to think of anything that relates the timid teen to the man behind their group. And he realized how similar their ideals were.

"Kida-kun, you're - kidding right?" Erika was downright confused. She was certainly caught off guard with what she has been told. Celty, who saw the reactions of those who did not know yet, decided to confirm it to help them accept it faster.

[It's true. I have known it for quite some time now, I think even before Kida did. But Mikado really wanted his identity to be hidden to uphold the DOLLARS structure for the members: free and without hierarchy.]

The look on the faces of the prominent members of the said group was priceless. Kadota, Togusa, Erika and Yumasaki were more shocked at how Mikado sees the group. Shizuo smiled when he heard the hiding leader's motive. Tsuna smiled upon hearing the ideals of the creator of DOLLARS and he and Celty sighed when they realized that the people would get over it quickly.

"I told you about it, even though Mikado insists to keep it a secret, since it has something to do with the things that happened earlier until now."

This made all of them listen more closely. Now that their leader was held captive, they needed all the details that they could get. And then they would have a word with their hiding leader.

With that, Kida told them what he learned about the Purple Limascon gang and the purpose of all their activities.

* * *

><p>Kida did his best to remember the details of what happened at Ikebukuro's South Gate. He told them first how he and Mikado received the message demanding him, the Yellow Scarves shogun, to meet the group alone. At that time, he actually thought that he was sought by the color gang because of what he did to their boss when they helped Tsuna.<p>

"Of course, I told Mikado to stay, be alert and warn DOLLARS about their sudden aggression." everyone then understood that it must have been Mikado who sent the warning to the DOLLARS forum. "I should have expected him to follow even if I told him otherwise. Then..."

_Kida arrived at the location, Ikebukuro's South Gate, indicated in the message. The streets were unusually empty. Regardless, he saw a Purple Limascon member and followed him; he knew he was meeting them in a more secluded place._

_The man led him into vacant lot near the South Gate. He saw the familiar faces of three people: the thin guy with the nose piercings, the over-sized shirt fat guy and of course, the Purple Limascon gang boss._

_The boss sneered when his eyes caught sight of Kida. The former Yellow Scarves shogun felt the hate and rage of the man. It looks like he was really furious of the incident earlier._

"_So, it was true that the former Yellow Scarves shogun is already part of DOLLARS now?" the boss spat every word he said._

"_What is it with you? Yellow Scarves is long gone now so I am free to do what I pleased. Besides, I liked how they are changing the image of gangs in this area so I joined." Kida's voice then became barely a whisper "Yellow Scarves goal was like that - until it got out of control."_

"_Che. I don't really care whether you join DOLLARS because you lost to them, or to make a sneaky revenge and take over. I don't care about DOLLARS in general." The man's grumblings didn't make any sense to Kida. If he was not concerned with DOLLARS, why would the Purple Limascon gang continue assaulting suspected DOLLARS or DOLLARS members? His question was answered by the next statement of the boss._

"_You see, someone I know wants a favor from us in exchange of our reign in this district. And what he wants is to actually know the identity of the DOLLARS leader."_

_Kida was stunned at what the man had said. They want to know who is the leader of DOLLARS? Which means they want to know about Mikado? But why? And who is that someone who wants to know? So, someone is working beyond Purple Limascon gang. And it looks like he or she is more dangerous that such a large color gang can be controlled like this. His thoughts were disrupted by the boss' snide remarks._

"_And this leads to you. I think it's by some fate that you did that to me and I was able to remember your face. We were able to track you down and when we discovered your identity, I decided to only offer a deal." the boss came closer to Kida and when they were a meter apart he held out his hand. "So, instead of my original plans of revenge, you can just simply tell us who the DOLLARS boss is and get your revenge or be the servant of the rumored Dragon king and suffer the wrath of my gang."_

_Kida knew that if he shook the hand of the boss, it would mean accepting the deal. And there was no way he would do that to his best friend. So, he swat away the boss' hand and turned his back to leave._

"_You seriously think I would accept that deal? Then, you're out of your mind. Tell someone he would never know the DOLLARS leader. He is the Dragon king after all." Kida's eyes narrowed and wore a smirk on his face._

_The Purple Limascon gang turned red from humiliation and anger. So he shouted and bellowed a command to his lackeys. "Get that bastard and do all you can to know who the DOLLARS boss."_

_Several men charged towards Kida with different kinds of weapon. But it was their mistake to recklessly attack the teen, they didn't know how great the blonde was in fighting. _

_One by one, he dodged the weapons flung against him without aim and gave each one of them a punch or a kick on gut or the jaw which caused them to be unconscious immediately. There were about twelve people left, but Kida was not tired in the least. _

_The boss looked incredulously at the scene before him; he never expected the former Yellow Scarves shogun to be that good._

_Kida couldn't help but grin as he felt how weak his attackers were. That was when suddenly, he felt a hard whack on the back of his head._

_He saw three men wearing black suits behind him. Two of the black-suited guys went to his sides and supported him as he felt his body slump. His world was spinning; it was as if the man had done something on the back of his head which made him weak and unable to support himself but somehow, he was still aware of what was happening around him._

"_Ah. You actually came." A pleased comment was heard from the Purple Limascon gang. He sounded relieved and scared at the same time._

_A deep voice replied to the boss, the man who was not holding him. "Well, we thought that maybe you really have some leads now, not some funny rumors. And it seems that you finally have something tangible."_

_An awkward laugh. "Ah yes. It was actually all coincidence. But now, you can just ask him yourselves about the DOLLARS leader, yes?"_

"_Well, it's a piece of cake. I think we can get the information now for the boss right?" the men in black who were holding Kida nodded. _

_The Purple Limascon gang boss signaled his lackeys to retreat. He glanced at the former Yellow Scarves shogun and went away from the place hurriedly. The leader of the black-suited guys murmured a 'coward' and then gazed at his current target._

"_Ah yes. Hello, former Yellow Scarves Shogun..."_

_Kida tried to look at the man but his head was still throbbing in pain. "Well now, it looks like the effects of my hitting your head is still there huh? But, no worries, you just have to say a name to give us an answer right?" _

_The man then, caught a hand of Kida's hair and looked at the blonde teen directly. "So, who is the DOLLARS boss?"_

_Of course, Kida remained silent. There was no way he'll reveal something like Mikado's secret to violent, untrustworthy men._

_The guy tilted his head because of Kida's lack of response. So he decided to change his approach. "Oh, I guess you're worried. You know, we will not harm the DOLLARS boss in any way. That is if he tries to cooperate. Unlike you!" Then, man suddenly punched Kida on the stomach. _

_Kida gagged at the pain he felt. The punch was really hard he felt his bile on his mouth. Add that to the throbbing pain on his head equals Kida suddenly kneeling._

_The man laughed at the blonde teen's predicament and the two guys who was supporting Kida let go of his arms. His body was already on its limits, so he fell on the ground facing it. He felt a foot on his back but he couldn't remove it. Heck, he couldn't even move his arms._

"_You know, we will not stop until you tell us the answer. We know that you know the DOLLARS boss identity."_

"_Then, why did you not search for me in the first place?" Kida asked in all his curiosity and strength left._

"_Ah. Because we need to put up faces. You know, these little things, we just look for someone who could do it for us. And now that they have favorable results, we grab it immediately."_

_Kida closed his eyes as he felt his consciousness fade away. Maybe if he pretended to be unconscious, they leave him alone. Yes, it was a good plan, until a click was heard._

"_The one thing I despise the most is when those people who I interrogated sleeps or pretends to be unconscious." The voice suddenly became cold and chilling. "And do you know what I do to them?" Kida felt the nuzzle of a gun on his head. "I shoot them."_

_Kida knew the man wasn't kidding. There was no hesitation on the way he pointed the gun in contact to his head. He had done it, and the man would do it to him. Kida gulped. What's he going to do?_

"_Because you just pissed me off so much, you will only have one chance. So, tell me. Who is the DOLLARS leader?"_

_Kida closed his eyes. Was this the end for him? Kida felt the time stop when a familiar voice suddenly rang in the midst of silence. He looked at the source of the voice and saw his best friend looking at him worriedly. _

"_Don't do anything to him. You're looking for me right? I'm the creator of DOLLARS. I'll- come with you if you let Kida go."_

"_And how can you prove that you're really the DOLLARS boss?" the man glared at Mikado suspiciously when the teen threw his mobile phone to the man._

"_The password is B******. When you log in to that phone, you can access all DOLLARS files. It's the admin account."_

_The man whistled as he scanned the archives of Mikado's cellphone. Meanwhile, Mikado went to Kida's side to attend to his best friend._

"_Masaomi, how are you?"_

"_Idiot! Didn't I tell you not to follow me?"_

"_If I didn't, you could have died!"_

"_And now that you're here, we don't know what will happen to us both!" _

_The two was silenced until Mikado murmured another apology._

"_Sorry. All of this was because of me. I heard everything, but I stayed hidden since I know you could handle the Purple Limascon gang. But when those men appeared, I was worried. I stopped myself from revealing myself but then... he pointed a gun. There's no way I could ignore that!"_

"_Tch. I should have expected that you'll still follow me."_

_Kida's eyes widened when the man who was checking out Mikado's admin phone was already behind his best friend. Like what he did to Kida, the man bashed Mikado behind his head and the raven-haired teen, being not that tolerant to pain, immediately fainted. One of the men who held Kida carried Mikado towards a car. Kida tried to stop them but he felt a kick on his head. He watched as his best friend was taken away, trying his hardest to move but to no avail. About a minute after the men and Mikado has left with a car, a van arrived and Kadota came running to the blonde teen's form._

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I'm worried. It has come to that time to connect all those hints I put here and there about the main conflict but I'm afraid that I might mess up with the details. So if you spot a major, major flaw in this fic, I'll gladly hear about it. Because I know that if I set-up something contradicting to other details, it will definitely ruin the plot of this story. It's really crucial. XD

So, to the people who are asking if the guardians will make an appearance, this chapter is the answer. Just wait patiently for answer of the next questions: When and How?

Comments, Suggestions, Violent Reactions. Welcome. =3

Thanks a lot to all the reviewers, alerters, favers and silent lurkers. _Mabuhay kayong lahat! =3_


	9. Ch9: Complications

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not , in any means, gain any profit by writing this fan fiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. ^0^

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 9 :** Complications

Silence filled the room as Kida finished the retelling of his meeting with the Purple Limascon gang and the kidnapping of Mikado. The story had certainly brought about more questions to those who heard the story. However, they knew there was not enough time for them to worry about the details of these things. Mikado's rescue had become a more urgent than before.

"That just means that aside from our problem with the Purple Limascon gang, we need to figure out who were those guys who got Mikado. That just complicates things." the silence was broken by Shizuo. He looked at Kida and the rest of the group.

"And from what Kida-kun had told us, those guys seem like they are not from a regular group. It's definitely dangerous. They may be even part of the Yakuza."

A slam was heard and everyone looked shocked at the blonde on the bed. His fist was on the table and a mix of worry, frustration and anger can be seen from Yellow Scarves' shogun's face.

"I don't care if they're from some kind of dangerous underground group. All I know is I need to get Mikado back." Kida tried to get off the bed but was stopped by Tsuna and Erika.

"Masaomi-san, you should not move yet."

"Idiot! Calm down first! You can't do anything with your body like that!"

"But – Mikado – He's in trouble. Do you think I can just stay here and take care of these damn injuries knowing my best friend is in the hands of some dangerous men!"

"Look Kida," thankfully, Kadota interrupted the growing tension that was caused by the blonde. "We know you are worried about Mikado because you were the one who met those guys. Of course, all of us are also worried about him. But we need to plan this accordingly because we don't know what we are facing here. So don't get worked up so much."

Kida eyed Kadota and the two stared at each other. Finally, Kida breathed inwardly and calmed himself down. But everyone could see how he was restraining himself from going out of the room and finding his best friend by himself.

Kadota continued his speech. After hearing what really happened from Kida, he had considered a lot of things so that they could solve the problem of the abduction of the DOLLARS leader. He already had an idea on how to do that and this was the right time to tell his comrades about his plan.

"From what you said earlier, the men said they won't harm Mikado if he cooperates with them. Knowing Mikado, he'll not accept any offers from those kind of guys. But they will wait for him because they already had invested so much, even put up with the Purple Limascon gang, just to acquire our boss. And that would give us more time to rescue him."

"And as for finding out who those guys were, I guess the Purple Limascon boss is the answer right?" Togusa suggested. He had already caught on to what Kadota was thinking.

"And it just happens that they are planning on going after us. Heh, it's like hitting two birds with one stone. After dealing with that irritating gang, we can rescue Mikado immediately." Shizuo smirked. All the others shuddered at the expression of Ikebukuro's strongest man who was rarely seen willing to head first in a fight.

Then, Kadota's cellphone rang. He quickly browsed his messages and looked up at the others to relay what the recent message was about.

"It looks like we can leave now. The Purple Limascon gang are assembling at the abandoned warehouse near the South gate. Their members are already there."

"About how many are there?" Shizuo asked.

"About seventy or more." the group winced at the number of members of the gang.

"There's no way we could match seventy people and even more." Yumasaki regarded worriedly. The others were thinking the same thing.

"Don't worry. My contact have already talked with about fifty people who are also in DOLLARS. They all have agreed to come with us. Now, we should hurry up. We need to get to their boss so that we could rescue Mikado immediately. Shizuo, you're coming right?" Shizuo stood up and walked over to Kadota's side. "We're going now."

Seeing that Kadota plans to leave with only Shizuo, the others started protesting. Kadota gestured Shizuo to follow him but before they could get to the door, Erika and Yumasaki blocked the two.

"Why are you leaving us! We're coming too." the two looked at their senpai.

"I don't think you should – "

"No, we're coming. Don't tell us that we will be easily noticed, we are not facing the Blue Squares."

"And it's better to have more people going there. Don't worry about me, I'm alright now."

Yumasaki stood beside Erika and both teens looked intensely at their senpai. Shizuo just shrugged; he was expecting this to happen. Kadota, on the other hand, contemplated on what to do.

"If you're taking them, you're not supposed to leave me as well. Who's going to drive you to their hide-out?" Togusa twirled the keys of his van and smirked at Kadota.

Kadota sighed. He was already tired of explaining. "Alright." Yumasaki and Erika grinned at each other while Togusa got up from his bed.

Seeing that Kadota had allowed them to follow, Kida got off his bed with Tsuna supporting him when Shinra got hold of the blonde and the brown-haired teen. Shinra looked at Kadota.

Kadota, bewildered at the sudden action of the underground doctor, understood and nodded. He faced the two and said. "You two. Just stay here."

"What?" Kida yelled incredulously while Tsuna looked at the man in confusion.

"Kadota is right, Kida. I need to check you first after hearing your story. If I'm sure there's nothing wrong, I'll allow you to follow. Is that alright?" Shinra, despite the concern in his words, was looking sternly at the blonde.

Kida gulped. For some reason, the blonde felt he had no choice in the matter and nodded. Tsuna however, believed that the check-up was only an excuse and there was another reason for them to be left behind.

"Okay. I'll contact you when we get there. Let's go." The five people hurriedly went out the apartment and rode the van. By that time, Shinra seriously looked at Tsuna and Kida and proceeded to check-up the blonde's injuries again.

* * *

><p>While the underground doctor proceeded on some check-ups to Kida's head, Tsuna sat restlessly on the chair Shizuo once occupied. He was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw the black rider offering him a cup of tea. The brunet smiled and took the cup. Celty typed on her PDA and showed it to the teen.<p>

[Something wrong? You have been quiet and tensed after Kida told his experience.]

Tsuna was amazed on how observant the dullahan was. He thought no one noticed his reaction while the whole plan on facing the Purple Limascon gang and rescuing Mikado was being discussed. He remained silent all throughout the time, anxious about the nagging feeling he felt after the mention of the men who got Mikado.

Tsuna already had known that there was a missing piece of detail in the situation they were in. Perhaps it was his hyper-intuition acting up; that's why when he heard that there was someone who was working behind the activities of the Purple Limascon gang, he can't help but suspect that there was a family deeply involved in the whole mess.

"Celty-san, don't worry. It's just that so many things are happening today." Tsuna lied but the black rider saw through it.

[You are worried about Mikado right?]

"Well, he and Kida-san were the first people I met here in Ikebukuro. And they really helped me a lot when I was searching for Izaya-san. Also,those guys who got Mikado-san..."

"You're thinking that they are those sort of people right?" Shinra was approaching them with Kida on his side. The underground doctor stared down at the brunet. Tsuna now understood why Shinra insisted that they stay. It looked like they were suspecting the same thing.

The underground turned to his side and asked the blonde. "Kida, do you remember any other description of the men who hurt you?"

The question puzzled Kida but he immediately started to think about what the doctor had asked. He tried to recall any distinguishing characteristics of the black-suited men. And then he remembered the face of the guy who attempted to shoot him.

"That one who err – talked to me, he had a scar on his left eyebrow and I think he had a badge on the collar with a black pawn."

Before Kida could ask why the doctor had questioned him about the men, he felt the sudden change in demeanor of the brunet who suddenly stood up. The blonde looked at Tsuna and was surprised when he saw that the brunet's chocolate orbs had somehow changed into orange?

Tsuna turned to the underground doctor his back facing Kida. Shinra, who also became serious, muttered. "So, I guess we're right."

"Yeah. It's the Pedine Famiglia."

* * *

><p>Mikado opened his eyes and saw that he was in an unfamiliar room. He clutched his head; it felt as if a hammer had hit it. Then, flashes of memories came over him like a wave. He remembered the Purple Limascon gang, Kida, three men in black suits and finally, the pain in his back which made him unconscious.<p>

He slowly sat up from the couch he had laid on and saw the three men who had taken him watching closely. On the chair in front of the teen sat a black-haired man who was smiling eerily at Mikado. Unlike the three, he was wearing a white shirt and normal denim pants. But Mikado noticed that the man had an elegant badge with a black pawn as main décor.

"I'm glad you're already up. My right hand man here was insisting on interrupting your slumber. But I suggested that we wait for you to wake up on your own."

Even though the man was smiling at him, Mikado sensed malice oozing from him. The raven-haired teen had never felt so intimidated before. The man was dangerous, he was definitely sure of it.

"I also apologize if my men were a bit rough on you and your friend. You see, they get a bit emotional when they have a goal to accomplish. Also, your friend must have done something that pissed them off."

At the mention of his friend, Mikado eyes widened and the teen looked around him in search of the blonde. When he did not see Kida, he confronted the man.

"Where is Masaomi-kun? What did you do to him?"

The man chuckled. "The Yellow Scarves' shogun? Don't worry. We have no use for him. So my men just left him on that place near the South gate."

Mikado was relieved that Kida was not in the same situation as him. However, he worried that there as no one to help the blonde if he was left in that condition. He could only hope that his best friend was already found and alright.

The man whispered to his men. After the gesture, the three proceeded and walked out of the room.

"Now that we're all alone in this room, you can relax. Try some of these sweets." The man nonchalantly leaned on his chair and moved some plates of different types of chocolates towards the DOLLARS' boss.

Mikado was at a loss on how to react to the man's gestures. He cautiously looked around his surroundings and kept in mind the doors and windows. The man noticed this and cheerfully warned the teen.

"You know, you can't escape from this room. One, my men are outside the door which is the only way to get out of here. Two, even if I allow you to escape from the windows, we are actually on the 10th floor. And finally, even if we disregard the two, I don't think you can escape with me watching you."

At the third notion, Mikado knew that the man was not lying. He felt chills as the man grinned at him. The man's eyes were cold and calculating.

"Who are you anyway? And what do you want from me?"

"Ah! I was waiting for you to ask that!" the man paused and looked at the DOLLARS' boss with a serious expression. "It's nice to meet you Dragon King. We are the Pedine Famiglia."

* * *

><p>"The... Pedine Famiglia?" Kida looked back and forth at Tsuna and the underground doctor and walked closer to the two who became weird all of a sudden. Celty, who was as confused as Kida, had moved closer to her lover and asked the man.<p>

[Shinra, are you saying that this... Pedine Famiglia is the group who has their hands on Mikado? The group behind the Purple Limascon's activities?]

"Them wearing a badge clearly shows their affiliation with the mafia. But I'm not as sure as to what family they belong to. So, it's only Tsuna-san who can really confirm that."

"Eh? And why is that? And did you say mafia? Like, the Godfather, mafia?" the doctor nodded to the blonde, confirming that it was indeed the Godfather mafia. Shocked beyond belief, Kida turned to Tsuna. He did not know what to expect from the Ikebukuro visitor.

"There's no doubt. A black pawn is that family's symbol."

"And why do you know about these.. things Tsuna-san?" Kida, still disbelieving the realization that hit him, cautiously asked.

"That's", Tsuna sighed and smiled at the blonde. The tension from the brunet was gone but he still had this different air around him. "another story to tell."

Kida understood and nodded. Celty, who had been watching the whole time nudged the doctor. Realizing that they had already discovered who was responsible for kidnapping Mikado, the doctor asked the brunet some questions.

"Anyway, what do you know about the Pedine Famiglia Tsuna-san."

"Well," started Tsuna. He was not hesitating because keeping his identity isn't an important issue now that they had discovered that a family is involved in this whole mess. "the Pedine Famiglia is a new family which specialized in technology. They are newly established, but has gained quite a reputation especially online. Though, many would not know that it was them since they use different names online."

"They had illegal businesses which involved using technology. Some large-scale companies which met their downfall were rumored to be caused by the family breaking the security of the main databases and selling hacked information to rival companies. They were also rumored to operate many scamming policies online. But, they were never arrested. The evidence were not enough to sue them."

* * *

><p>"The... Pedine Famiglia?" Mikado was stunned at the introduction of the man. The man had said famiglia which was italian for family. Mafia, he immediately realized. It was no wonder that he quickly arrived at the conclusion seeing what, Mikado supposed, the boss and his three subordinates were capable of doing.<p>

"Ah yes. Don't worry. We are just a little family of humble origins." the Pedine family boss clucked his tongue and picked up a chocolate from the plate waiting on the table. "We are just new and unlike those large, ruling families out there, we are only good in only one business."

Mikado waited for the man's speech. "You should know one of our business since it was the DOLLARS' boss who stopped its operation and caused damage on our system that time. Remember the note you left, _'It's wrong using technology for taking advantage of people.'_"

The incident the boss had said made Mikado remember the online scamming site he had broken into. He had done it because many DOLLARS' members fell victim to the site and after its crash, even if he expected that it would go back up, it did not return online.

Even though it was not his intention, the news spread that it was the DOLLARS' boss who had taken the site down and all the victims, even the ones who were not members of DOLLARS, were thankful to him. Of course, the Mikado as the DOLLARS' boss never confirmed the rumor but then again, it spread all over the internet nonetheless. That incident , which happened just weeks after the Yellow Scarves-DOLLARS war, gave him another title, the "Dragon king".

Mikado never imagined that that incident which happened would lead to such a scale. Does that mean they want revenge?

Mikado with utmost courage asked the man the question that will tell his future. "So, all of these just because you want revenge?"

"As much as I want to say yes, I have a better idea." the Pedine boss leaned closer to Mikado. Mikado was unable to move away from the man. "Why won't you work for us instead?"

* * *

><p>"Hearing what this family does, I'm quite convinced why they are interested with Mikado." the doctor commented.<p>

[Even though Mikado denies it, he already had established a name online being the DOLLARS' leader and being regarded as one of the network geniuses, the "Dragon King".]

"I remember how he got that title. It was something about taking down some site which gave problem to DOLLARS' members. I was really surprised when he confessed to me that it was really him who did it."

"Anyways, back on topic," the doctor cleared his throat and regarded Tsuna. "Tsuna-san, do you know to find them?"

"No I don't. Sorry." Kida's was kind of disappointed with the brunet's answer, but who was he to complain. Tsuna had already helped in figuring out Mikado's kidnappers. "All I know is that the family went to Japan about a year ago but Reborn never told me more details. But I think it's obvious now that they are here in Ikebukuro."

"Hmmm... I think I know who to ask in this situation then." Shinra faced Celty and Kida. "Celty, I'm going to call Shiki. Can you wait for Tsuna and I while we ask if he knows about the Pedine Famiglia? And Kida get ready. I have a feeling that you can see Mikado soon." the underground smiled sheepishly at Kida and told the brunet to follow him to the doctor's office.

When the two were already inside the room, Kida couldn't help but say his thoughts about all the things that happened.

"I have never thought that this day would be so... eventful." the blonde chuckled at his lost for a much proper description of what has happening to them. "The Purple Limascon gang. Another gang war. Mikado's kidnapping. Italian mafia in Ikebukuro. And most especially, Tsuna-san."

Celty agreed with the blonde.

[Everyone has their own secrets huh?]

Kida smiled his normal cheery smile. "Indeed." Then, the blonde suddenly stretched his arms as if he just woke up from a very long sleep. "Now, let's get ready Celty-san. I also have a feeling that we would know where to go after whatever they are doing in there. It's time to rescue Mikado."

* * *

><p><em>The war with the darks is going to be led by the kinsho and the ginsho. I wonder how they're going to handle what's waiting for them at the place. And it looks like the black pawns are finally discovered by the crystal king. Now, how would he face this? I guess the game's climax is finally here. It's going to be wonderful, I can't wait!<em>

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Uhmm.. Hello? It's been a while... I don't know how to start this but let's get it over with.

Confusing? I'm confused myself. _ I really think there some things here that didn't make sense. I'm getting dizzy with my own plot. Hahaha... How stupid is that. XD

I don't know if they're still in character now. Mikado being a network whiz is so that he is seriously wanted by a family which is in the online business. I'm more of a circuit/harware person than a web/network/software person so if you see some funny details, kindly point it out so that they can be corrected. As for the use of Dragon king, it's to suit ryu-o which is the piece Mikado represents. But according to anni_fiesta (live journal with translated DRRR! Light novel), Ryuugamine Mikado actually means "Dragon Peak Emperor". So, I guess it's alright?

Pedine according to the ever reliable(?) google translate is Italiano for checkers/pawns. At first, I was supposed to use Pedine ombra for "black pawns" but Pedine alone sounded better as a Famiglia name.

I'm surprised that Izaya was back. And I'm also amazed as to how he knows what everybody is doing. Even I don't know how he does that. Hahaha...

So, comments, suggestions, violent reactions? They are most definitely welcome. And my thanks to all those who are still reading this story and those who faved, alerted and reviewed! Virtual hugs for you! =3


	10. Ch10: Schemes and Misunderstandings

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others.

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 10 : **Schemes and Misunderstandings

...from Complications

_The war with the darks is going to be led by the kinsho and the ginsho. I wonder how they're going to handle what's waiting for them at the place. And it looks like the black pawns are finally discovered by the crystal king. Now, how would he face this? I guess the game's climax is finally 's going to be wonderful, I can't wait!_

* * *

><p>Tsuna walked with the underground doctor to the man's office. But before entering the room, the brunet glanced over at the blonde and the black rider. When he saw the blonde smile his normal cheery smile, he felt relieved. The doctor noticed this and he, too, looked at the talking dullahan and blonde.<p>

"Hmmm.. Kida's ready to face anything to get Mikado back it seems. Ah! I should hurry and call Shiki now." Shinra dashed into the room and hurriedly looked for his phone. Tsuna followed suit and gently closed the door behind him after entering the room.

"Shinra-san, this Shiki. Who is he?"

"Shiki? Ah, he is a prominent member of Awakusu-kai. It's an organization also based here in Ikebukuro."

"Oh." Tsuna watched as the doctor dialed the number of the man and waited. The call was immediately answered and the doctor talked to the man on the phone.

_'Hello? This is Shiki speaking. It's really rare that you call Shinra.'_

"Well, it's normally you who calls me. Anyways, this matter is urgent so I hope you can help us."

_'Okay, shoot.'_

"Do you know where the Pedine Famiglia is located? We know that they're here in Ikebukuro."

A grunt was heard at the other end of the line. Then, the man replied. _'And how did you know that a mafia family is here in Ikebukuro?'_

"Long story. So, you do know huh?"

_'Tch. Yes. But if you have trouble with them, we cannot help you there. Even though that group is still new, they're formidable. Many other groups are in their favor because of their business. Even our group, as much as I hate to say this, can't refuse sharing our territory with them.'_

"Aww... And here I thought you could help us. So where is their base?"

_'It's in the building with the popular games center. From what I know, their main office is situated on the 10th floor.'_

"Oh alright. I think Celty knows where that is."

_'Wait. Don't tell me you're going there. It's dangerous.'_ the voice of the man sounded incredulous.

"We know that. But we have business with them and we can't afford to back out. Besides, I think we have a powerful ally for this. The Vongola Decimo is here to help us."

_'The Vongola Decimo? Oi Shinra, are you serious?'_

"Bye Shiki! Thanks for the information."

_'Oi... Oi... Tell me what is he like? Shinra! Don't cut –'_

The doctor ended the call and informed the brunet about what has transpired on the call. "Tsuna-san, I already know where we could find the Pedine family. But truthfully, I don't know what to do from here."

Tsuna knows that he was the only person that could deal with another family. And since it was the Pedine Famiglia, all the more that he should be the one to do it.

"I guess we have to negotiate with them about Mikado-san. I'll... handle it."

The doctor saw the resolve reflected in the eyes of the Vongola heir and admired the brunet. He could see how determined the teen was in spite of the dangers of facing the abductors of the DOLLARS boss.

"Thank you Vongola Decimo." the doctor sincerely thanked the soon-to-be Vongola boss.

Tsuna became flustered at the doctor's sudden gesture. The brunet was still not used to being referred to in such a way. Now thinking back, how did the doctor know about his identity as Vongola Decimo anyway?

"Uhmm.. Shinra-san, how is it that you know about.. me and the Vongola?" Tsuna asked.

"That? Well, the Vongola Famiglia is such a large and powerful organization. How can I not know it with my profession?"

"But you're a doctor, right?"

Shinra laughed. "I'm not your average doctor. I work as an underground doctor and most of my patients are from different groups. About how I knew you were the Vongola Decimo, that's because I have met Reborn-san. He was introduced to me by Izaya. I've also heard many things about you from Izaya." The explanation seemed to satisfy the brunet so he did not ask any more questions to the underground doctor.

Shinra went to the door and opened it; revealing the waiting dullahan and blonde.

"Tsuna-san!" Kida hurriedly went to the side of the brunet. "Did you find their location?"

Tsuna nodded and stared at Shinra who was talking to the dullahan. "Celty, you know the building with the popular games center?"

[Yeah. Is that their base?]

"Yes. Shiki said they are in the 10th floor of that building." The doctor confirmed.

"Alright. Just wait for me Mikado." Kida muttered; determination to save his best friend can be seen from his face.

[Shouldn't we inform the others?] Celty inquired. Now that they know about the kidnappers of Mikado, it was better for them to get help from the others.

"I will try to contact them. But for now, you should go first. Tsuna-san would know what to do when you get there. He'll talk to the boss of the Pedine Famiglia." Shinra explained the plan he and Tsuna had thought of to the other two.

Kida was surprised with what the doctor had said. He had thought they would forcibly get Mikado back because he believed there was no other way to put up with the family. Besides, he personally wanted to fight the man who attempted to shoot him. He didn't care if they were dangerous; the blonde wanted to teach them a lesson for the troubles they had caused to him, to DOLLARS, and most especially, to Mikado.

"But – isn't that risky? I don't think they would just agree to talk with us, especially the boss even if Tsuna's – " Kida paused, a little awkward with what he would say next. "also part of mafia and he's the one who's going to deal with them."

Shinra remembered that Kida doesn't know that the Pedine Famiglia could never refuse talking with the Vongola heir since he only knew that the brunet was just a normal mafioso. The doctor was about to refute Kida's opinion when Tsuna looked directly at the blonde with seriousness and also, sincerity.

"Masaomi-san, please trust me on this."

Kida stared at the brunet's face. He sighed; defeated by the look of resolution in the brunet's eyes.

"Alright."

Shinra and Celty looked at each other. The dullahan went to prepare his motorcycle while the doctor accompanied the two teens to the parking. A few minutes later, the dullahan riding the motorcycle emerged from the gate of apartment with two teens in black helmets as passengers. Shinra looked at the departing figures and muttered to himself. "Be careful."

Then, he went to his office to contact the other people who were facing the Purple Limascon gang.

* * *

><p>"Ne, ne Bakadera! I'm tired!" whined an 8-year-old child wearing a cow-printed shirt. When he was answered by a growl, the boy continued to whine. It just stopped when he saw a candy store selling his favorite candy. "Aha! Grape candy! Lambo-sama wants grape candy! Let's go!"<p>

"Lambo-chan," a timid girl wearing an eye-patch and an unusual pineapple hairstyle talked to the spoiled brat calmly. "We must find boss first."

"I'll buy you loads of grape candies when we've found Tsuna. Is that alright?" added a tall, raven-haired teen who was smiling sheepishly.

"WHERE IS SAWADA TO THE EXTREME ANYWAY?" a white-haired teen with a bandage on his nose commented loudly. It would seem that he was shouting but it was his normal way of speaking.

"Dame-Tsuna is so stupid. He got lost that's why he did not return early. Ahahahaha!"

"I hope boss is alright."

"I'm sure he is. Didn't that guy say he already got the file from him? So, maybe Tsuna just went to the stores to buy some stuff!"

"THIS CITY IS SO HUGE TO THE EXTREME!"

"Can all of you just shut up!" a frustrated yell halted the other teens and looked at the person who looked really pissed off. The guy has shoulder length silver-hair and green eyes and was wearing ragged clothing with skull decors. "I can't believe I'm accompanied by these stupid people. I really hope to see Jyuudaime soon."

"Maa, maa. Gokudera. Don't worry much about Tsuna. I think he's alright!" the raven-haired teen assured his silver-haired friend.

"Yakyuu-baka! Didn't you listen to what that information dealer told us? There's an on-going war between some gang named Purple Limascon gang and DOLLARS. What if Jyuudaime got caught up in the fight?"

"There's a big possibility that boss became involved again." the purple-haired girl said. It was known to all of them how their boss always gets into other people's mess.

"Ahahaha.. Then, I guess we just have to help him as always, right?"

"I agree with Yamamoto to the extreme! Tako-head, are we near that warehouse the Hibari-look alike told us about?" asked the enthusiastic teen.

"Che. Shut up Turf-top." Gokudera glared at the two and pointed at the run-down warehouse across the street. "Looks like that's it."

All of them looked at the place and thought of the same thing.

"I had a feeling that we're being tricked by that information-dealer bastard. I'll show him." Gokudera fumed.

"Maa... Maa... We have no choice but to check what Hibari's look-alike had informed us since he's the only person we're certain Tsuna had met." Yamamoto reasoned out to the silver-haired teen.

They approached the building and went to the front door.

"Oi Chrome, Lambo. You should just stay here." the white-haired enthusiastic man told the purple-haired girl and the whiny brat.

"Lambo-sama doesn't want to be left here! I'll go!"

"I'm going too, Ryohei-san." the white-haired teen who was the oldest of the teens nodded and stood beside the girl and the brat.

"Hurry up and let's find out if this Purple Limascon gang boss knows where Jyuudaime is." Gokudera looked at his companions. Even though they were all idiots in his view, they were capable guardians, well, except for the snotty, stupid cow.

"You guys ready? I'm opening the door!" Yamamoto cheerily pushed the doors of the run-down warehouse and saw a gathering of about seventy people. The chattering stopped and all eyes turned to the teens.

"OI! IS THE PURPLE LIMASCON BOSS HERE? WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK SOMETHING TO HIM TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei's inquiry echoed throughout the abandoned warehouse. The Purple Limascon gang members glared at the newcomers.

"Are these brats in DOLLARS?"

"Well, they must be."

"Huh! How brave of them going here by themselves? Are they belittling the Purple Limascon gang?"

"They even have a girl and cow-brat! Hahaha..."

"Let's teach these brats that the Purple Limascon gang is superior to DOLLARS."

"YEAH!"

About ten muscular men surrounded the teens each with their own weapon. The guardians looked at each other.

"Oops. Look's like using the front door wasn't a good idea." Yamamoto scratched the back of his head.

"I think they're mistaking us as members of their rival gang." Chrome moved closer to Lambo and materialized her trident. "Should I use my illusions to incapacitate them?" the purple-haired girl looked at the current leader of their team, the right-hand man of the Vongola Decimo.

"That would send them a warning. Permission granted. Just don't over do it. Jyuudaime will not be pleased if we fought all out with just thugs." Gokudera, who became unusually calm, approved the girl's proposal.

Chrome nodded and the illusionist used her mist flames to trick the men surrounding them. To the astonishment of the other gang members, the men surrounding the teens fell one after another. When the tenth man became unconscious, the gang members were confused and angered by what the Mist guardian had done.

"What's the commotion all about?" A huge man wearing a bandanna around his neck roared which made the Purple Limascon members advancing to the guardians stop in their movements.

"Boss, DOLLARS brats just came in our hide-out wanting to see you. And they did something to them." the speaker pointed at the lying forms of the unconscious Purple Limascon gang members.

The boss became was extremely angered when he saw his defeated lackeys. "What? What the hell are you standing there for? Why aren't you attacking them." the boss pointed at the guardians who were shocked at how idiotic the boss seemed.

"Che. He didn't even evaluate the situation and immediately ordered to attack us. What a stupid gang leader." Gokudera pulled out his dynamites.

"Would you like me to use illusions again?" Chrome asked her comrades.

"Don't bother Dokuro. They won't get the message if they don't see us in action." The girl nodded and went a little further away from the three boys. Lambo, who looked afraid of the muscular men, went to the girl's side.

"Oi Tako-head! I thought we're not going all out with these thugs." Ryohei reminded the right-hand man. The white-haired teen stretched his arms and practiced punching in the air.

"Gokudera, just use those mini-dynamite of yours to lessen the damage." Yamamoto added. The raven-haired teen got the bamboo sword he had on his back and swished it on air. "I'll just use the bamboo form of Shigure Kintoki."

"YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO YAKYUU-BAKA!" Gokudera switched his normal dynamites to the mini versions as he glared at the ever-smiling guardian.

"Now then, I guess we need to beat up these people before we could ask their boss?"

"Don't get so arrogant punk!"

"Don't look down on us! You're just brats!"

"Attack them all at once!"

And the unexpected battle of the Vongola guardians and the Purple Limascon gang members started.

* * *

><p>A van parked near the restaurant and Kadota, Shizuo, Erika and Yumasaki got out of the vehicle. They had finally arrived at the meeting place with the other DOLLARS members who would come with them to the Purple Limascon gang's hide-out.<p>

Togusa decided to stay behind since his injuries were still hurting. (he was still able to drive for them though) The four proceeded to meet up with Kadota's contact. They saw their fellow DOLLARS members at the empty space near the abandoned warehouse.

"Yo! Where are the others?" Kadota immediately asked his contact about the other members who would accompany them. There were only about twenty in attendance.

"I lost contact with them. They told me that they're already near this place but then, that was about fifteen minutes ago."

"Maybe they chickened out or something." Shizuo commented.

"That's quite impossible. Most of them also participated in the infiltration with the Yellow Scarves too." Kadota defended the missing members. Kadota turned to his contact and asked again.

"And the Purple Limascon gang? How are they?"

The man hesitated for a while and answered. "I was told that for some reason, members were fleeing from the warehouse as of now. And most were injured."

The news surprised the prominent DOLLARS members. They certainly did not expect that one.

"What the hell?" Shizuo commented.

"We also don't know the reason. Now that you're here, what would you like to do?" asked the DOLLARS member.

Kadota thought about what their next move will be. Erika, who was curious about what was happening to the Purple Limascon, asked.

"Is the Purple Limascon boss still there? It's him that we need to talk to."

"It looks like he is still there even though many members have already left."

Kadota looked up and said. "Then, we will first go in there and find the Purple Limascon boss. Looks like someone else had started before us. I think they are some other DOLLARS who planned the same as us."

The others who were listening to Kadota agreed. And so, the four prominent DOLLARS members went to the abandoned warehouse. They did not know that a huge misunderstanding awaits them inside the Purple Limascon hide-out.

* * *

><p>The Purple Limascon boss looked frightened at the scene in front of him.<p>

When he had issued the command, he expected the DOLLARS brats to be beaten up since there were still about sixty people (ten were already knocked out by the brats for some unknown reasons) that would attack them. However, he didn't expect to see his men defeated one by one easily by them.

The loud, white-haired guy who always yelled 'TO THE EXTREME!' was an unbeatable boxer. He only charged at the muscular gang members and always challenged them before fighting. And when the fight begins, the boxer becomes serious and would punch his opponent consecutively. He could see how painful each blow was; that at the third punch, the boxer's opponent either receive it and become unconscious or would run for his life.

The tall, raven-haired guy who was always smiling and uses the bamboo sword was an expert swordsman. The guy never attacks; he only waits for someone who would attack him first and would just counter. But every split second counter the guy did, he could feel the sudden change of aura of the teen into a chilling one. Then, after hitting his opponent, the man would return his usual goofy grin.

The girl and the cow-brat who stood at the far end was a mystery to the boss. For some reason, when someone attacks the duo, that person would stop and ran away screaming or would be electrocuted even though the whole building does not have any source of electricity.

Finally, the silver-haired guy was the most intriguing of all. He just stood there and smoked. And when someone approached him, something blows up and burns the attacker. Because of that, no one wanted to get near the guy.

"Oi! Tako-head! You're not doing anything!" yelled the loud boxer. "I've already got 7 EXTREME KO's and 8 TKO's!"

"Stupid Turf-Top. That just means 8 people escaped your match." the silver-haired gave a triumphant smirk at the boxer. "10 people have already been blown-up by now if I were using my normal dynamites."

"ARE YOU MAKING EXTREMELY FUN OF ME TAKO-HEAD?"

"SHUT-UP AND MIND YOUR MATCHES TURF-TOP!"

"Maa... Maa... Don't fight while you're in battle!" the raven-haired evaded a punch from behind and brought down another Purple Limascon gang member. "Oops. Sorry. I don't want to get hit you know. Oh, by the way, this is my 16th opponent."

"WHAT!" the silver and white haired teens glared at the raven-haired guy. The easy-going teen just maintained his goofy smile.

"Anou... 8 people already got electrocuted by Lambo-chan. And 5 more got trapped in the illusion I've put up." Chrome joined the competition of the three boys.

"Ararara... Lambo-sama is so great! I beat you Bakadera!"

"Looks like Chrome and Lambo beat us up this time. They got 13 people now and adding the first 10, they already got 23 people." Yamamoto laughed as the cow-brat teased Gokudera.

"Shut up Ahoushi! Or I'll kill you instead."

"Bakadera is a meanie! Bleh!"

"Why you little – "

As the teens bickered with each other, the Purple Limascon Boss added the number of his men the brats had already defeated. 23 by the girl and cow-brat, 16 by the easy-going swordsman, 13 by the boxer and 10 by the silver-haired guy. That's a total of 62 Purple Limascon gang members down. He looked around and saw the remaining 12 members who were already moving away from the brats. Who the heck are these monsters? The boss couldn't believe that the DOLLARS have such kind of members.

"You shouldn't have commanded to attack us in first place without knowing our abilities. Now, you won't have any men when you face the DOLLARS group in your so-called war." The Purple Limascon gang boss was startled when he saw that the silver-haired guy spoke beside him. He was so shocked to see that actually, the five of them were already surrounding him.

"DOLLARS war? Weren't you DOLLARS members?"

"They really thought we were part of their rival gang." Chrome looked up to Yamamoto who answered.

"Well, I guess we should have cleared that up earlier. Ahahaha..."

"BUT WE NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES TO THE EXTREME!"

"Can you just shut up so that I can ask him where Jyuudaime is already?" Gokudera snapped at the other guardians.

"Ararara.. Bakadera is being such a meanie again."

Before the pissed-off right hand man could knock the cow-brat's head, Chrome tugged Lambo to her side and asked the spoiled kid to behave. The kid complied to the timid girl's request.

"Right," Gokudera looked at the Purple Limascon gang boss seriously and spoke again. "Before you decided to attack for wrong reasons, we were just here to ask if you or any of your members have seen our wonderful boss."

The purple Limascon gang boss stared bewildered at the question of the silver-haired teen. They went to their hide-out and taken down his men just to ask something?

"You see", the smiling teen added for the sake of the baffled man. "this guy we met said that you may have seen Tsuna. He is this short and has spiky brown-hair."

"His eyes are also colored brown and has this soft light on them. He's really nice."

"AND HE'S STRONG TO THE EXTREME!"

"Lambo-sama still thinks Tsuna is still no-good."

"You snotty brat – How dare you insult Jyuudaime?"

"Ahmm... Just ignore them.." the girl looked up at the Purple Limascon gang boss. "So, can you tell us if you know where boss is?"

The Purple Limascon boss felt his blood boil when he heard the reason of the teens. The plan had already been set to attack DOLLARS that moment. That day should have been the day the DOLLARS would be defeated by his gang. But all was ruined, thanks to these brats who took down his men and is now asking him for some missing person.

The Purple Limascon gang boss was infuriated beyond comprehension.

In his anger, he tried to hit the girl who was nearest to him with all his might. But before he could hit the girl's face, a sword, not a bamboo sword but a real sword was on his throat, a fist were inches from his face and a nuzzle of some kind of gun was pointed on his head.

"That's so cowardly of you to attack Chrome." the boss' eyes widened at the terrifying aura of the once ever-smiling teen.

"That's just extremely disgraceful." the loud boxer this time was not yelling and was looking at the boss with so much seriousness.

"Even if we did not stop you, I know Dokuro could have defended herself. But as Jyuudame's right-hand man, it's my duty to protect my fellow guardians. I suggest you just answer us. It's just either you know or not." the silver-haired teen calmly spoke to the boss. He was more frightening when he was calm than when he was grumpy.

The Purple Limascon gang felt chills ran up his spine, even though the guardians had already put down the weapons pointed at him. The only people who scared him like this were the men of their benefactor, the Pedine Famiglia and most especially, their boss. The teens exuded the same air as the family. The Puple Limascon gang boss realized that he needed to reply to them soon and he should give them a satisfying answer.

A short, brown-haired teen with brown-colored eyes. Somehow, the description of the missing person rang a bell in the boss' mind. And then it came to him. That was the brat whom they encountered that morning and was with the Yellow Scarves' shogun and his friend.

"I.. I think I know who you're talking about."

The guardian's wariness of the color gang boss seemed to lessen and heared out the man's answer. The gang leader gave a short description of the brown-haired brat he met and the description he said seemed to fit the person the scary brats were looking for.

"Ahaha... Looks like the Hibari look-alike was right after all." Yamamoto told his comrades.

"Che. So, fat guy. So, do you know where we could find Jyuudaime?"

The boss flinched at the insult the silver-haired guy gave him but decided not to react. These brats were dangerous after all. "The last time I saw this, Jyuudaime of yours, he was with some DOLLARS members."

"What? I can't believe I've wasted time here. That information dealer bastard. He sould have sent us to the DOLLARS instead!" Gokudera grumpily complained.

"It's alright Gokudera. We just have to find these DOLLARS who were with Tsuna."

"I EXTREMELY AGREE! SO FAT GUY, DO YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND THOSE DOLLARS GUYS?"

The Purple Limascon boss remembered that they left the Yellow Scarves' shogun in the hands of the Pedine Famiglia men at the incident at the South Gate. A plan was formed in his head; he's going to send these brats to their demise.

"These DOLLARS guys should be with the Pedine Famiglia, another group here in Ikebukuro." the Purple Limascon gang boss purposely did not mention that the Pedine Famiglia was in fact an Italian mafia family. However, it's not like the guardians did not know that. When the family's name was mentioned, all of the guardians tensed.

"Pedine... Isn't that – " Chrome's voice trailed of. The others understood what the girl wanted to say.

"This DOLLARS. Could they be working with them?" Yamamoto turned serious this time.

"The chances are big. We should confront this DOLLARS group as soon as possible. Jyuudaime, I hope you're okay." the right-hand man looked at his fellow guardians and left the Purple Limascon boss. Before they reached the door, it opened revealing four prominent members of the DOLLARS.

* * *

><p>Orihara Izaya chuckled to himself as he remembered meeting with the 10th generation Vongola guardians.<p>

He was behind a tree near the Purple Limascon hide-out and was waiting for the outcome of the meeting between the Purple Limascon gang, the Vongola guardians and the DOLLARS' prominent members.

He was sure it would be exciting. If he predicted correctly, the Purple Limascon gang would spout some things that would cause some interesting things to happen between the guardians and DOLLARS.

Well, it would be boring if they get along immediately, right?

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Uhmmm... surprise fast update? XD

And tada! The chapter everyone had been waiting for! The guardians appearance!

The guardians. I never thought it would be difficult for me to write them. XD I hope they're in character. I wanted everybody to have the feel of maturity like Tsuna in here and in the same time, their weird personalities! So yeah. Hope they are okay!

Somehow, I like how this chapter turned out. =3 And Izaya you scheming flea.. Ahahaha...

Comments, Suggestions, Violent Reactions? =3 Most definitely welcome. And my deepest thanks to all who are reading this fic: the lurkers, alerters, favers and most especially the reviewers. You don't know how your comments lift my current depressed spirits up. I love you all.


	11. Ch11: Prelude to Mayhem

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. ^_^

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 11 : **Prelude to Mayhem

_A certain information dealer was in the middle of observing the goings on among the Purple Limascon gang, DOLLARS and most especially, some particular interesting individuals when he received an unexpected call. Orihara Izaya grudgingly got his phone out but his irritation was replaced by surprise and curiosity when he saw the name of the caller. What could be the reason for Breshnev Simon to call him?_

_A soft click and Izaya greeted the Russian caller, "Oh!~ Hello! It's been a long while the last time you called me? How is it going?"_

_'Izaya-kun. I called because some kids are here looking for Tsuna-san. Looks like his friends from Namimori followed him. I overheard when Kida-kun, Mikado-kun and Tsuna-san left Russian Sushi earlier that they would meet you. I was supposed to contact Kida or Mikado but unfortunately, I don't know their mails.' A deep accented voice told Izaya the cause of the call. Izaya cheerfully answered._

_"Really? They're looking for him and you told them about me? Then, I must hurry and meet them there. Please tell them I'll be going, okay? Bye!" Izaya abruptly cut the talk and returned his phone in his pocket. He was grinning widely at the new turn of events._

_'I swear this game just gets better and better every minute.' _

_That was on his mind as he went to Russian Sushi. He had no doubt that he would be meeting more interesting people in that moment. Of course, if they are from Namimori, that could only mean one thing._

_Sawada Tsunayoshi's friends or rather, the Vongola guardians were in Ikebukuro as well._

_Since he was on a building near the sushi establishment, he arrived at the sushi place quickly. The Russian Sushi's door sign said that it was already closed as to prevent other people from coming in. He opened the door and saw the waiting forms of the Vongola guardians._

_Like their boss, the guardians were definitely out-of-the-ordinary. That was the information dealer's thoughts when he saw a smoking silver-haired, delinquent looking boy arguing with the white-haired, loud one. A tall, smiling raven-haired guy was trying to calm the two. A quiet girl with an eye-patch and weird pineapple hairstyle was taking care of a whining, cow-attired brat. Another grin formed in the information dealer's lips and he greeted the busy crowd._

"_Oh Hello! You must be Tsuna-san's friends!"_

_All of the guardians stopped from whatever they were doing and stared at the newcomer. _

"_..."_

"_It's the Cloud-person?" the timid girl looked confused._

"_NOPE. HE JUST LOOKS LIKE HIBARI TO THE EXTREME!" the white-haired guy commented loudly._

"_I can't believe there's someone sharing a face with that violent prefect." _

"_Ahahaha... Hibari has a doppelganger."_

"_Izaya~ You go here fast." the huge Russian man, Breshnev Simon, greeted the man who just arrived._

_The information dealer ignored the comments about how he looked like this Hibari person and answered the Russian. "I was around the area." Then, he turned to the teens who were now staring at him intently. "I heard from Simon here that Tsuna-san's friends were looking for him, yes?"_

_It was the cheery raven-haired teen who answered Izaya. "Yeah, that's us! We were lucky that Simon-san knew Tsuna. He said he met up with you after eating here. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, by the way." _

"_I'm Orihara Izaya." the information dealer introduced himself to the teens. _

"_Nice to meet you to the extreme! I'm Sasagawa Ryohei!" the white-haired boy followed Yamamoto's introduction._

"_Dokuro Chrome. This is Lambo-chan." the shy girl nodded to the information dealer. Beside her was the kid in cow-shirt who was looking bored as he read the menu of the sushi restaurant._

"_Tch. I don't have any reason to tell you my name." the delinquent looking teen scowled at Izaya. "We are here to find Jyuudaime."_

"_Haha. Don't mind him. He's just normally grumpy. His name is Gokudera Hayato." Yamamoto took charge of introducing the scowling teen. Gokudera glared at Yamamoto but he didn't say anything. _

"_I don't mind. I don't mind. It's nice to meet you all." Izaya assured the teens cheerfully. "About Tsuna-san, yes, we met." the guardians looked hopeful at the man's answer. "But that was hours ago. I actually thought he's not in Ikebukuro now. He told me he was boarding the train after I handed the files his tutor needed." the information dealer supplied; sounding 'worried' about the brunet. "Maybe he changed his plan and went around Ikebukuro."_

_The guardians looked quite disappointed with the man's answer. But Ryohei still questioned the information dealer; hoping to get another hint as to where Tsuna could be._

"_Then, do you have any idea where we might find Sawada? We're not really familiar with this district." _

"_You're really stupid Lawn-Head. Of course, he doesn't know! He said Jyuudaime had left him hours ago. We should just get going and find Jyuudaime by ourselves.", Gokudera eyed the information dealer. Izaya smiled. The information dealer had a feeling that this one was suspicious of him; as expected of the Vongola Decimo's right-hand man._

_The other guardians looked at each other and prepared to follow the silver-haired boy. Izaya pretended to think deeply on how he could help the searching guardians. It was then that the information dealer's phone rang, signaling for a new message. He checked what it was about and his eyes lit up at the discovery. He called out to the guardians who were already leaving the sushi place._

"_Wait, I think I know where you could ask for Tsuna-san's whereabouts!" his cheery statement stopped the guardians from their tracks; even the silver-haired boy, who was suspicious of him before, slightly turned to listen to him too._

"_You see, there is this guy who's the leader of a huge color gang here in Ikebukuro, the Purple Limascon gang."_

"_And why should we find this petty gang leader to find Jyuudaime?", the skeptic boy challenged Izaya. The information dealer, in return, just smiled a knowing smile to the teens._

"_Well, right now, Purple Limascon gang members are all around Ikebukuro. So, maybe they had met Tsuna-san along the way?" the man cocked his head to the side and the scheming grin of the information dealer was on his lips._

"_I'm not buying it." Gokudera turned his back but was stopped by the loud, white-haired boy._

"_Oi, Tako-head. Shouldn't we try to find this gang leader and ask him than aimlessly wander around to find Sawada?" Ryohei talked to Gokudera about considering the information dealer's suggestion. _

"_Besides, aside from Simon-san and Izaya-san here, we don't know anyone in this huge city." Yamamoto backed-up Ryohei. _

"_I want to see Dame-Tsuna soon." the cow-brat sighed and looked at Gokudera. Even though Lambo did not show it, he was really worried about his big brother._

"_I'm quite sure that the Purple Limascon boss can help you in this matter. I think you should decide soon before anything happens to Tsuna-san." the information dealer gave another reason for them to follow his advice. The guardians were not able to see through the intentions of the man; with the notion of Tsuna in trouble, they all started to get anxious to see their boss._

_Seeing that they won't have any idea what to do next if they refused to meet this gang leader, Gokudera sighed and begrudgingly agreed to listen to what the information dealer had to say. Izaya, who was quite pleased that the guardians had considered following his 'suggestions', immediately told the guardians the location of the Purple Limascon gang hide-out and other 'useful' information about Ikebukuro they could use. And with that, the teens decided to hastily go and be on their way to ask the Purple Limascon leader._

_The information dealer could not contain his excitement as he waved at the departing teens. He had decided to follow them. But before that, Izaya looked up his contacts and called to inform a certain hitman tutor about what was happening to his beloved student, his friends and occurrences in Ikebukuro._

* * *

><p>Orihara Izaya chuckled to himself as he remembered meeting with the 10th generation Vongola guardians.<p>

He was currently behind a tree near the Purple Limascon hide-out and was waiting for the outcome of the meeting between the Purple Limascon gang, the Vongola guardians and the DOLLARS' prominent members. He knew that his plan, in one way or another, would work out just fine.

When he had received the message telling that the kinsho and the ginsho, Kadota and the ever-living pest Shizu-chan were on their way to the Purple Limascon gang hide-out, he had decided to delay a little Vongola's reunion and send the guardians to aid his fellow DOLLARS members in dealing with the Purple Limascon gang. As expected, the color gang had reacted aggressively towards the teens which resulted in the decisive end of the darks' turn in this particular game.

The Vongola guardians were the ones who had stopped the upcoming war. It was a huge relief for DOLLARS and it was because of Izaya's 'help'. But of course, there's always a catch.

'Hmmm... I wonder what the Purple Limascon boss would tell the guardians.', he continually gazed at the run-down warehouse. 'Whatever he says, I'm quite sure it would cause conflict between the DOLLARS and the guardians. That color gang boss knows how to take advantage of the situation in order to protect himself. Pity he has done his part.'

'Ah what to do? I want to witness how the Vongola guardians fight. And it's been a while since I saw Shizu-chan in real action.'

The informant's thoughts shifted to Ikebukuro's Doll.

'Ah Shizu-chan, I really hope you get killed this time. Though, I guess the fight would get interrupted before it would get into a much serious one. But there's nothing stopping me in hoping for your death.'

'Should I go visit them? But if I get discovered, the fun will become even shorter and Shizu-chan will definitely chase after me again.'

'But they might be busy fighting to even notice me. What to do? What to do?'

Izaya's ramblings and conflicting thoughts made the man deep in contemplation. When he heard an explosion coming from the abandoned warehouse, he quickly came to a decision.

"Ah... I guess the need to see Shizu-chan get himself worked up, beaten and hopefully killed outweighs all the consequences."

Just as he was about to reveal himself from his hiding place and approach the hide-out, Izaya evaded a sudden metal maimed at his head. Going to a wider space, the information dealer touched his left cheek which unfortunately got hit by whatever weapon used against him. Izaya smirked maliciously and called out to his attacker.

"Oh my.. And here I thought I could continue pretending that someone wasn't following me. And for what reasons does the ever aloof cloud have to attack an spectator of events?"

The teen who looked very much alike the information dealer stood near the tree the man had previously been hiding into. He was staring coolly at the information dealer; a thirst for battle could be seen on the teen's eyes. The teen answered the man's question bluntly.

"For purposefully misleading the herbivores and causing mischief, I'll bite you to death!"

* * *

><p>It was Tsuna's first time to ride a motorcycle as one of the passengers. And the feeling he was getting from riding it was quite different from using the special motorbike Gianini, the Vongola technician, had developed. It was weird since instead of the sounds of an engine, the brunet was hearing neighs as they proceeded. Add to that the fact that the driver is a headless urban legend and his fellow passenger was once leader of a large color gang of Ikebukuro.<p>

His head turned a little to get a glance of the blonde behind him. Kida noticed this and questioned the brunet.

"Is something the matter Tsuna?"

Tsuna, a bit embarrassed that he got caught, answered the inquiring blonde. "Err – nothing much Masaomi-san. I'm just glad, that's all."

"Huh?", the confused look of Kida told the brunet to explain. Well, that was simply because they were about to a face a mafia family and here he was, saying that he was glad.

"That's because," Tsuna awkwardly told his thoughts to the blonde. "you are willing to trust me to talk to the Pedine family boss. I promise that I'll do everything I can so that Mikado-kun won't be involved with that family anymore."

The brunet was already looking forward when he said this but Kida could feel the sincerity in the promise.

"Well, I should really thank you Tsuna." Tsuna felt the grip of the blonde on his shoulder's tighten. "I'm being foolish a while ago; thinking that I can forcibly get Mikado back. I was being rash; maybe because I didn't want to repeat some mistakes I've done in the past. I don't even have any knowledge about the mafia and yet I – "

"Don't worry about it Masaomi-san. It's normal that you would worry so much about Mikado-san. He's your bestfriend after all." the brunet placed his hand on the blonde.

Kida felt relieved that the brunet understood what he was feeling. He didn't want to feel useless and helpless again. He wanted to protect his bestfriend, even if he did not know the dangers of facing a family. He was glad that he met Tsuna that day. Now, he couldn't imagine what may have happened if Mikado was taken by the family in another time.

"Well, now that I think about it, I'm worried about you too."

"Eh?" The brunet turned his head to face Kida again.

"Won't you be in trouble with your own family if you're negotiating for us? And how would you talk to the Pedine boss anyway?" the blonde inquired the brunet.

"Uhmm... I guess they'll understand." 'I hope Reborn will.' Tsuna shivered at what his tutor would do after all this. "And, my family and Pedine had... contact before so I think the boss would agree to talk to us about Mikado-san."

"Ahh... I'm still having it hard to believe that Tsuna-san is really a mafioso. You really don't look like one."

Tsuna just laughed awkwardly. "I've been told that many times."

"And just what do you do in your family Tsuna?" the blonde saw the brunet avert his eyes. The blonde quickly reverted his question. "Well, you don't need to tell me about that if it's not allowed though. Haha. But maybe you're like a negotiator or something?"

"Err yes – something... like that."

The conversation between the two boys stopped when the dullahan's PDA mysteriously hovered in front of them.

[Kida-kun, Tsuna-san. We'll be arriving at the Pedine Famiglia's headquarters shortly. Get ready.]

The two, who had loosened up in their ride for a bit, turned back to thinking about how they would face the Pedine Famiglia. The black motorcycle zoomed nearer and nearer to its destination; its driver and passengers preparing for what was about to come.

* * *

><p>"It's really true when the others said that Purple Limascon gang members are fleeing the area. They're not even noticing that we are here." Erika commented as she saw six members arguing while walking away from the hide-out.<p>

After telling the other DOLLARS members that Kadota, Shizuo, Erika and Yumasaki would check if their suspicions about a separate DOLLARS group already confronting the color gang was correct, the four proceeded to the hide-out quickly. They were all bewildered at the state of the gang members they saw; most of them looked injured and panicked. They were never noticed by the escaping members on their way to the run-down warehouse.

When the four prominent DOLLARS members had reached the front door, it was closed. It seemed like no one used it to escape from what was happening inside. Shizuo went infront of the door and looked at his companions.

"You ready to enter?"

The others nodded and the blonde guy in bartender's suit pushed the front door of the run-down warehouse open. They looked around and were again, shocked at what they saw.

The hide-out they were expecting to have about seventy or more Purple Limascon gang members was nearly empty. It looked like most of the members had already left the hide-out when they arrived. The very few ones left were somehow injured and were carrying the unconscious. They all looked like they wanted to get out of there and join the others who had already left. Just what the heck happened?

"Tch. Looks like they called for back-up." The DOLLARS members turned to see a silver-haired delinquent-looking boy scowl at them. Beside him stood a black-haired boy with a bamboo sword on his back, a white-haired athletic-looking teen, a girl with a weird pineapple hairstyle and finally, a kid wearing a cow-shirt.

"Oi Tako-head. Be careful. I think those people are unlike the other gang members we fought." the white-haired guy warned his comrade.

"Did you just say you fought earlier? Then, all those Purple Limascon members ran away because of you?" Yumasaki asked disbelievingly at the five kids in front of them. The other DOLLARS members were also astonished at the fact that four teens who looked like they were just in high school and a kid who was no older than 10 years old were the ones to defeat a whole band of Purple Limascon gang of about seventy members.

"It's not our fault if those fellow members of yours underestimated us." the silver-haired boy stated this without any smugness; in fact he said as if he was just stating a fact.

"Wait, looks like your mistaking us to be part of the Purple Limascon gang." Erika spoke to the teens. "We're not."

After hearing the otaku girl, the guardians became at ease.

"Oh Sorry. We thought were going to have to fight again. You see, we're really in a hurry." Yamamoto apologized while scratching the back of his head.

"I also apologize to the extreme!" the white-haired teened said loudly while bowing.

The silver-haired teen did not apologize. Instead, he looked at his companions and said, "Tch. What the hell are you waiting for? we should go and find those DO – "

Before the silver-haired could finish what he would say, he heard the Purple Limascon behind them.

"What are you doing? Those people are prominent DOLLARS members. They are with the people who got your boss."

Kadota and the others stood there confused of what the Purple Limascon gang leader had said. They didn't catch what the boss had told the teens but whatever that meant, it looked like the teens did not like it and they now stood there looking at them with hostility.

* * *

><p>"<em>The last time I saw this, Jyuudaime of yours, he was with some DOLLARS members."<em>

"_These DOLLARS guys should be with the Pedine Famiglia, another group here in Ikebukuro." _

"_What are you doing? Those people are prominent DOLLARS members. They are with the people who got your boss."_

As much as Gokudera hated the guts of the stupid gang leader, the information he had given was essential. He doubted the man would trick them; he had no more reasons for doing so and the storm guardian was sure that the man was already frightened of them. Also, it looked like the man knew the Pedine family as just another group in this area.

This DOLLARS group is the real problem.

Gokudera stared intently at the four DOLLARS members. For him, they did not look like they were members of a gang at all; considering the appearance of the other color gang members they fought a little while ago. However, like what the Turf-Top had said, they kind of emanate an air which actually identify them as experienced gang members; most especially the tall man in black outfit and the man in bartender's suit.

They do not know anything about the group except that they have an on-going feud with the Purple Limascon gang which was told by the bastard informant and that it has a connection with the Pedine family according to the color gang boss. And Jyuudaime was with them. Gokudera cursed. What if Jyuudaime was discovered and was handed over to the Pedine family? And they were not there to protect the Vongola Decimo.

The storm guardian's worried musings were disrupted when he heard the tall man in black speak.

"Hey. Are you lot in DOLLARS too?"

The guardians looked at each other confused at the man's question. The man asked if they were DOLLARS members. Weren't he suppose to know that they are not? As the current leader of the group, it was Gokudera who answered the man.

"No we aren't. Why the hell do you ask? You don't recognize your own members?" Gokudera replied sarcastically to the man. "More importantly, you are DOLLARS huh?"

Kadota raised his eyebrows to the tone the silver-haired teen used when he mentioned 'DOLLARS'. He and his companions felt the teen's blatant animosity. It looks like the group of teens were kind of angry towards DOLLARS. But, what was the reason? He listened carefully when Shizuo, uncharacteristically, answered the teen. Kadota saw the irritated expression of the Ikebukuro doll. And Kadota knew that the expression was something he wasn't looking forward to.

Shizuo was annoyed with the silver-haired teen.

"And what if we are, kid? I don't know what your problem is, but can you step aside? We're here for the stupid boss over there and we need him quick. So if you would excuse us." With eyes furrowed, Shizuo lead his comrades towards the Purple Limascon boss who was now inching farther away when he heard that he was the DOLLARS' purpose for coming there.

But the blonde man was blocked by the other guardians.

"We're not here to stop you from getting the fat guy but we would like to ask something to you first."

Shizuo stepped back. He was getting more annoyed with every passing minute. They needed to know the location of Mikado's kidnappers and yet here was some unknown kids delaying them.

"Alright. Go on." It was Kadota who spoke. He looked at the aggravated blonde and discreetly told him to calm down. The pissed-off Shizuo remained silent but still looked annoyed at the silver-haired teen who asked them straight to the point.

"We were told that our boss was seen with your people. I would like to know what you did to him."

"Your boss?" Erika inquired. "You're from another color gang?"

"We're not just some gang! We're from the Vongola Family! And my brother is the boss!" Lambo declared proudly. The DOLLARS members looked at the teens incredulously.

"What the heck is Vongola? A clam cuisine?" the comment would have been funny if they were not in a dire situation. The teens looked like they were not affected by the offending statement and waited patiently for the DOLLARS to answer their first inquiry.

"We don't know this Vongola and I don't think we know your boss." Kadota supplied an answer. "But, I see that you're so sure that our people are with your boss."

"It looks like your not as dumb as the other color gang leader. Yes, I believe our source is reliable. And from what I see, you are also not lying when you said you do not know about us and our boss. Fine then. I accept that." Gokudera stated. The DOLLARS members were surprised at how easily the silver-haired teen accepted their explanation. However, they did not expect what he had spoken after.

"Then, we would like to talk to your boss so that we could confirm something. You may not know what your fellow members are doing but surely the boss knows."

"But – we can't do that! Dotachin – " exclaimed Erika. The mention of the DOLLARS boss had somewhat reminded them that the boss – Mikado – was in immediate danger.

"I would refuse as well. We have already said that we don't know anything about your boss and we know that our – boss would certainly not know anything about it as well." Kadota said firmly. He was hoping that the teens would also accept this.

He was seriously wrong.

The refusal told something else to the guardians. Gokudera's way of thinking was already known to the others. They would not argue at the first 'denial' of the group. The demand to see the DOLLARS boss was a test if they are hiding something from them. If they agree, then there was no problem. If they refuse, the group certainly was hiding something from them and there was a big possibility that they were lying before.

"Why? If we meet your boss and see that he doesn't know about our boss, then there's no problem right?"

Kadota cursed to himself. He was caught off guard with the teen's demand. He already felt something was wrong when the teen had accepted their first explanation. And now, he somewhat understood what the teens were thinking right now. If he was not in that situation, he would have probably applaud the kids' cunning, most especially the silver-haired teen.

The four prominent DOLLARS members tensed when they felt the teens move closer to them. With the look on their faces, they knew that they wanted something. Shizuo who had watched the whole exchanged was officially enraged. He had finally snapped and made the worst move ever in front of the Vongola guardians.

"The hell kids! Can you just stop asking us for your fucking boss? We already told you we don't know! We have our own problems and your missing sissy of a leader isn't our concern anymore!"

The next thing Shizuo knew, several sticks of dynamite were coming to their direction. He hurriedly went to Erika and Yumasaki to protect them, running to the right side of the abandoned warehouse while Kadota went to the other direction to protect himself.

Shizuo's outburst triggered very angry Vongola guardians.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Izaya and the guardians' conversation, you remember what chapter hinted their appearance? And here was a little snippet on what happened on their meeting.

Izaya and his twisted logic. This is the part that delayed this chapter since I wanted to write something about what Izaya is thinking about. I just hope I succeeded in my attempt. And of course, Izaya's Shizu-chan obsession. XD

So sorry if the fight had just started. You see, I still need to think about the details on how they are going to fight with the guardians like flames involvement (because I only see the need for the guardians to use the flames if they are against the mafia, though, Chrome's illusions I guess is acceptable since when she used it, the others do not see what she had done), Pedine interruption et al. I really need suggestions for this. =D

And lastly, pardon the not-so-good grammar and style for this chapter. As much as I hate to admit it, I am in a severe depression state right now. But writing this fic cheers me up and is like therapy, so I guess I would continue writing. Though this means much slower updates. Sorry guys. But I'll definitely try my best. =3


	12. Ch12: A Whirlwind of Battles

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. (^A^)v

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 12 : **A Whirlwind of Battles

The explosions caused by the dynamites used by the kids were finally over. Shizuo, who had been crouching the whole time, finally tried to get up from his position. He looked around in order to check the conditions of Erika and Yumasaki; both whom he had protected from the sudden attack.

"You kids alright?"

Much to his chagrin, the duo did not respond. That was when he noticed that they were not by his side anymore. This confused the man a lot for he was sure they were with him when the bombs went off.

Looking around once more, Shizuo saw that the smoke from the explosion was already clearing out. However, the area he was in was still in a state of zero-visibility; instead of smoke, the area around him was covered in mist. The man assumed that it was another effect of the explosion; the bombs could have been some special type.

'Those clam kids. What was with that sudden attack? And how the heck could they use dynamites?', frustration can be seen from the blonde's face. 'And why is it so misty here?'

Shizuo's thoughts were immediately cut off when he felt someone approach him from behind. He first thought that it was the two teens but his instincts yelled at him to quickly evade the presence.

He quickly side-stepped to his right and barely avoided a hit from a bamboo sword to his back. The wielder of the weapon changed his grip and aimed for Shizuo's head. The blonde managed to step back just enough for the bamboo sword to miss his face.

Shizuo looked up to see who his attacker was. The kid was the tall, raven-haired kid who apologized to them first and kept smiling before. Though now, the smile was far from his face and the kid was looking at him blankly; which was seriously unnerving.

Yamamoto spoke up and called out to someone. "Gokudera."

At the mention of his name, the silver-haired teen who was standing on some piled up boxes, set off a set of mini bombs towards the man in bartender's suit. Knowing the effects from last time, Shizuo immediately ran away from where he was standing to avoid the explosive sticks. After another series of explosions, he saw the two stand together before him; ready for another attack.

Shizuo gritted his teeth as he thought of a way to stop the fight. Judging from the looks of the duo before him, he knew that there was no longer chance for convincing. The only way to end his predicament was either defeat the kids or be defeated instead. Of course, he didn't like the latter option.

"I really don't like fighting with kids but you leave me no choice. I hope you won't regret this. After all, YOU WERE THE ONES WHO ATTACKED FIRST!" Shizuo said his final warning before preparing his full retaliation.

"Of course we won't. Not after hearing your insults to Jyuudaime."

"We can't really let you off after bad-mouthing Tsuna in front of us."

Shizuo would have recognized the name of the kids' missing boss if he just paid attention very well. However, he wasn't able to do that with his temper off the charts.

Right after the declaration of the official battle between the the groups, the strongest man in Ikebukuro became busy defending himself from a torrent of bomb attacks combined with sneaky sword strikes. Shizuo, being Shizuo, did not just defend himself. He gave the two guardians a hard time as he charge at them with all his might.

The right side of the abandoned warehouse became a place of destruction.

* * *

><p>Kadota looked around trying to figure out a way to get to the other side of the warehouse. He could clearly hear the explosions and Shizuo's angry yells which signaled a battle already happening between him and the strange kids. However, everytime he walked into the misty area, he found himself going back to his current position which confused him to no end. He was just walking straight but why did he keep on returning?<p>

"No matter how many times you extremely try, you won't get out of Chrome's illusions and help the bartender man." Ryohei walked into the area alone, ready to face the tall man in black outfit.

Kadota turned to see the extremely loud white-haired teen standing at the far end of the not-so-misty area. Kadota would have laughed after hearing that he was in an illusion. But he couldn't agree more since he couldn't get to anywhere except that place.

"You guys are not some regular gang, are you?" Kadota asked the obvious. He already knew the answer; they were just attacked with dynamites and he was currently in what the boy said, an illusion. That only shows how unusual their group is. But maybe the loud teen would give him another hint about themselves.

"We told you already. We're from Vongola and we're here in Ikebukuro to find our boss."

So, they were really serious when the cow-kid said they're from the Vongola family and their boss was missing. Being a gangster, Kadota had knowledge of other groups outside Ikebukuro like 'Jyan Jyan Jyan' and the Toramaru of Saitama led by Chikage Rokujou. However, he was not sure he had already heard of a gang named Vongola.

Kadota tried to identify all the other gangs he knew from every territory hoping that maybe he could figure out where these kids came from. His serious musings, however, were interrupted by another statement given by the loud white-haired teen.

"I don't think there's a need to fight you if you just tell us already about our boss. Though it would be extremely hard to stop Gokudera and Yamamoto from fighting the bartender man after what he said about Sawada."

Kadota firmly repeated their stand. "It's not like we're lying when we said we know nothing about your missing leader. But you keep insisting that we know."

"Then, let us meet with your boss."

Kadota sighed. He was going nowhere with convincing the white-haired teen. It was like the conversation a while ago. Why the heck do they want to meet DOLLARS boss anyway? Heck, Mikado is kidnapped by unknown men. Or, could their boss also got kidnapped by the unknown men? Kadota was getting nowhere connecting all that was happening to them. He just wished they could sort this out already so that it won't be added to their current main dilemma – the DOLLARS' boss kidnapping.

So, Kadota thought about messages or posts for the day that was not about the purple color gang. With this, he checked out his phone but cursed inwardly when he did not feel his mobile in his pocket. He might have left it in Togusa's van. With that, he just depended on his memory of the things in Ikebukuro that day.

He suddenly recalled the name the boy had said. Sawada. It sounded familiar but he couldn't pin point as to where he had heard or seen it. He was unable to continue thinking about this Sawada when he heard the teen's sudden declaration.

"See? You're extremely hiding something!"

Kadota wanted to explain to the kid that his silence was due to him actually trying to think of things that might help them in searching for their missing boss. He was unable to do so because of the next thing the white-haired teen had said.

"Then, I'll just challenge you to a boxing match! If I extremely win, you just have to take us to your boss and there will be no problem." the sun guardian offered to the tall man.

Kadota scratched the back of his head and sighed a defeated sigh. Okay, he's not going to explain anymore. This kid, he realized, was just too stubborn and looks like any explaining: Won't. Ever. Work.

"I really don't get your point but if you're challenging me to a fight, then, I won't refuse. Challenge accepted."

Ryohei beamed at the man's agreement. Though, he felt a sudden change in the man as he walked closer to the sun guardian.

"Just be ready. Even though you're a kid, I don't give handicaps."

"That's good old man. I actually feel you're an extremely fair person! I don't understand why you can't tell us about Sawada."

'Well, there's no use talking to you. You're not actually listening.' was what Kadota wanted to say to the teen. But he, then, thought of a better deal he could get from this fight.

"Then, if I win, would your group just listen to us again and even help us in our problem?" Kadota laid the simplest words for the teen to understand his conditions. Kadota was a bit confident that the teen would accept it anyway.

"That sounds fair enough." Ryohei, feeling the sudden tension from the man, readied himself and turned more serious. "Though, we'll have a problem if we confirmed you're with the Pedine."

"Pedine. What's that? Another group?" Kadota sighed. "Well, whatever. I'll just ask you kids again after defeating you."

"Extreme. Bring it on, old man."

"That's already two times kid. I am not even 25 yet."

The duo smirked, and then, charged quickly towards each other. It was a one-on-one battle between expert short range combatants.

* * *

><p>"Just what is this bartender guy made of?" Gokudera cursed as he hold on the last set of mini bombs he had. He waited for the time to strike as Yamamoto engaged the blonde man in a continuous sword assault.<p>

Yamamoto was actually using the Shigure Soen Style minus the real sword part after realizing that normal sword techniques would never work against the blonde. The style was still effective even in bamboo form since it was hard to follow and very tricky. But even with it, the blonde unbelievably evades the unexpected blows from the swordsman and blocks the hits that were impossible to evade. And those hits were not exactly weak. Which means Shizuo had been on the receiving end of several very strong strikes from the rain guardian.

Shizuo saw the raven-haired teen jumped back again which signaled another round of head-spinning bomb traps and explosions. Shizuo really hated the silver-haired teen. The kid's style was strategic and full of trickery. Shizuo liked the straight-forward confrontations. And he was going to do it NOW.

Yamamoto watched wide-eyed as he saw the blonde charge towards the storm guardian. He knew how strong the blonde was with their earlier match, and even if Gokudera was strong, it would be disadvantageous for him to face the blonde one-on-one.

Hand to hand combat wasn't Gokudera's specialty.

But even before the blonde approached Gokudera, the silver-haired teen smirked and another explosion had taken place. This had to be his most effective trap as the blonde quickly covered himself to protect himself from the dust and shrapnels of materials coming towards him.

Smoke covered the whole area. Yamamoto walked beside the dynamite-user with a frown on his face.

"You overdid it again, Gokudera." the rain guardian eyed the storm guardian sternly. Gokudera rolled his eyes as he defended himself.

"Tch. He deserves it after insulting Jyuudaime. But, I know he won't die with just that after seeing how sturdy the bartender man is. Just maybe, beaten up or unconscious."

Yamamoto sighed and spoke again. "We should get back to Chrome and wait for Senpai to finish his fight. The guy he's fighting with looks like their leader and knows more than his companions."

"That guy's the most suspicious. I think he knows about the Pedine and Jyuudaime."

"Maa Gokudera. Didn't we agree that were not doing anything rash again? You've already attacked them suddenly after – "

"Tch. Stop lecturing me Yakyuu-Baka. Besides, all of US would have acted then. It was just me who started it first."

A smile of comprehension was on the raven-haired lips. "Right. Enough of that. We should hurry. Our boss is waiting for us somewhere."

Just when the two guardians turned to go to Chrome's area, they heard someone coughing behind them. The two flinched as they heard the ragged voice of the man they thought they've already defeated.

"Where you going kids? We're not finished here yet."

Gokudera and Yamamoto looked stunned as they gazed at the worn-out figure of the strongest man in Ikebukuro. His bartender clothes were torn and dusty, his eyeglasses was broken but the most amazing of all was; he was carrying a huge 100 kg box with ease even in his current condition.

"You... Kasuka gave me this suit. Now it's torn and dirty. I can not let you get away with this."

And the huge 100 kg box came flying towards the frozen Vongola guardians.

A crashing sound of a very heavy object resounded throughout the abandoned warehouse and Kadota slightly frowned as he thought of one thing: Shizuo is actually fighting seriously with the other kids.

* * *

><p>"Old man. Pay attention." a fist came quickly towards Kadota's abdomen. The blow connected making the DOLLARS fighter gag a little at the pain. He stepped back and the sun guardian thought it was to draw back but Kadota gave an unexpected punch to the white-haired teen's temple. The two separated and caught their breaths.<p>

"Who says I'm not paying attention?" Kadota retorted to the sun guardian's accusation. Ryohei was massaging his aching temple caused by the man's punch.

When the pain had eased a little, Ryohei returned to his boxing form but the man spoke first, concern in his voice.

"Aren't you worried about your comrades?" Kadota asked seriously at the sun guardian which was answered without hesitation.

"Of course not. Yamamoto and Tako-head look as if they can't get along but they're strongest when they're working together. You should be worried about your friend."

"Shizuo? That guy is regarded as the strongest man here in Ikebukuro. There's nothing to be worried about."

"Then, let's just focus on our own match."

"I have another question. How's Karisawa and Yumasaki?" Kadota realized that the two were with Shizuo and could be caught up in the war zone that is the right side of the abandoned warehouse.

"Don't worry, Chrome's with them. They're in good hands."

Kadota sighed in relief and expressed his opinion about the group. "I really can't understand you kids. I even think we could get along well and yet, here we are, fighting."

"Let's just talk about it after the match, old man."

"For the last time, I said I was not even 25 yet."

And with that, the two engaged in another heated boxing match.

* * *

><p>"Yumacchi, get off me..." Erika pushed her partner as she recovered herself from the awkward position they got themselves into.<p>

"Ouch, Erika-san! No need to scratch my face." Yumasaki protected himself from the shoving hands of his otaku partner as he got off her. He remained seated on the girl's side after.

"We just survived a bombing! Ahaha..."

"It's nothing to be happy about Erika-san. Thank goodness Shizuo-san came for us."

The two panted as they conversed with each other. Realizing that they had survived thanks to the man in bartender's suit, the two looked around in search of him. However, they couldn't find him with all the mist surrounding their area. Both winced as they heard some yells. The loud sounds belong to Shizuo and his yells were accompanied by sounds of crashing down of thrown objects and again, exploding sticks.

"Is that Shizuo-san fighting?"

"There's no doubt that's him! Looks like he's facing off with the dynamite-using kid."

"Ehh? Could he be with Dotachin?"

The otaku girl's question was answered when they heard an extremely loud challenge line which said 'Let's just talk about it after the match, old man' which was answered by a familiar voice saying 'For the last time, I said I was not even 25 yet.' The voices came from the other side of the warehouse, opposite to the place where they heard Shizuo's battle.

"Kadota-san is on the other side. From the looks of it, he's having a one-on-one fight."

"Yumacchi, we must help them. You can go to Shizuo-san while I'll go to Dotachin."

The two nodded to each other and walked in opposite directions. But both were suddenly stopped by something unseen. It was like they were inside a room with invisible walls. That was when the girl in weird pineapple hairstyle and the cow kid emerged from the mist.

"I'm afraid I can not allow you to go to the others." Chrome looked straight at the partners who in return stared back confusedly. "You can't stop them. Also, it's dangerous if you go."

The two scrutinized the girl from head to toe and noticed how the cute girl could portray a powerful, magical heroine with her weird but cute style and with that awesome trident in her hands. However, it was not the time to relive their anime fantasies. They could hear how serious the battles their fellow members were facing. Yumasaki spoke to the girl; thinking of convincing her on whatever had caused for both parties to fight.

"It won't be dangerous if we stop them, right Pineapple-Hair-chan?" Chrome blushed at what the light-brown haired guy had called her. "Besides, it's not like we want to have a fight you, really."

Erika was wide-eyed when she thought about something. "No way. Could it be that you're going to fight us?"

"Arara... Lambo-sama can beat you easily!" exclaimed an enthusiastic cow kid who had been holding on to the girl's skirt. Chrome patted Lambo's head and whispered to the kid. The brat pouted and rolled his eyes but nodded to the girl.

Chrome faced the two DOLLARS members again and clarified her purpose. She shook her head as she denied the girl in black dress' claim. "I'm just here to stop you from interfering with the others. Besides, Pointed-Eyes-san is still injured on his leg."

Erika saw a concerned look coming from the girl towards her partner. Looking at the girl now, she couldn't stop herself from asking just what it was that caused their group to be hostile towards DOLLARS. The kids (except for the delinquent looking teen) were even nice to them before the Purple Limascon gang had spoken to the kids about something.

Maybe she could ask about that and make a way to have an understanding between them and the kids.

"Ne, Eye-patch-girl-chan," again, the mist guardian blushed at another name she was given.

"Chrome... I'm Dokuro Chrome."

"That's a really nice name Chrome-chan." Erika nodded at the very appealing name of the cute girl. "Anyway, I would like to ask why you guys think that we have your boss."

The two DOLLARS paid attention intently at the reply of the timid guardian. If they get the root of this misunderstanding, they might be able to stop the fights going on.

"The fat purple boss-man had seen Boss with DOLLARS. Also," Chrome hesitated giving out this information but relented. She was also thinking that maybe the DOLLARS aren't what they suspect them to be. Or not. "the Pedine Family might have a connection with your group."

"So this Pedine, is it some rival group of yours?", Chrome nodded slightly with this. "And you think we're like allied with them and since your Boss was seen with DOLLARS," the realization made the two DOLLARS teens understand the point of view of the kids.

"But, you should have just cleared this out before. We could have explained more to you that we don't know about this Pedine group and I swear we're not just covering it up."

"And you didn't have to attack us so suddenly. Now, look what happened."

Chrome looked down but when she faced the two again, they saw a bit of anger in the girl's eyes.

"It's that bartender guy's fault. He doesn't even know Boss and yet that guy insulted him. Boss is a really nice person."

The two looked at each other and remembered the outburst of one Heiwajima Shizuo. They sighed with this, the kids were just certainly loyal to their leader.

"Well, I think we should say sorry about that too. Shizuo-san has a really bad temper but that was because we're also facing a problem of our own about our leader."

"It's also the reason Dotachin said we can't let you face him."

Chrome nodded at this.

"So, can you tell your friends now to stop the fights?"

"No."

The outright refusal of the girl confused the two. They thought they had come to have peace with the girl. Looking at the purple-haired teen, they saw the resolve the girl has to continue stopping them.

"Okay okay." Yumasaki sighed, defeated by the stubbornness of the girl. "I have a better idea. Why can't we help you find your boss?"

Chrome was puzzled at the suggestion of the pointed-eyed-boy and stared at the two DOLLARS teens. The otaku girl realized what her partner was trying to do and helped him in achieving his goal.

"You say that the Purple Limascon gang boss told you that your Boss was seen with DOLLARS correct?" Chrome nodded.

"But that guy isn't really trustworthy, you know?" Erika eyed the girl seriously.

"We're sure he saw Boss. We don't just believe it just because that guy told us about it."

The two looked disappointed. So, they're really sure that their leader was with the DOLLARS huh? "Why are you so sure?" Erika asked.

"He gave us Boss description. We're sure that was him."

The two fell silent as they thought about it. Then, Erika had an idea. With this, maybe the girl will finally trust them and stop her friends.

"Then, can you tell us what your Boss look like? Maybe we can tell it to the other DOLLARS so that we can help you!"

Chrome eyed suspiciously at the two teens. The Vongola guardian's plan was to defeat the two guys who looked strong so that the DOLLARS would not refuse their demands anymore. Chrome sighed. She thought that the teens looked like they were really sincere with their proposal and maybe this would help them quickly.

"Okay. Boss is well – he's a bit short. Though, he's taller than me a little. He has brown hair, a little messy since it's spiky. His eyes are brown and he's a bit clumsy." Chrome blushed as she gave the description of the Vongola Decimo.

"Dame Tsuna is really dame!" the cow-attired brat had become enthusiastic again when he told his own description of his big brother.

The two DOLLARS teen looked seriously stunned at the girl.

"Chrome-chan. You're not looking for Tsuna-chan – no – Sawada Tsunayoshi, are you?"

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

So how was it? Was it action-filled enough? =D I am not really good with fight scenes so bear with me.

Your thoughts about the match-ups? XD These are mine.

59,80 vs Shizuo: even if Gokudera and Yamamoto are like always bickering (more like Gokudera always fuming around Yamamoto), they're the perfect tandem *cough cough* if it's about Tsuna! And there's no way one guardian would EVER defeat Shizu-chan. (hmmm... Hibari?) Even executives Aozaki and Akabayashi of Awakusu-kai regard Shizuo to be stronger than them. HAH!

33 vs Kadota: Those two are great one-on-one fighters! And Ryohei, being Ryohei, would never get Kadota's awesome thinking. (I'm loving Kadota as I write him. I think he's a very, very intelligent character) And Kadota, being Kadota, never rejects a challenge!

96, L, Erika, Yumasaki interaction: yeah, because they won't fight. There, the revelation. =3

And thanks for the support guys! I'm really feeling better. Writing this had been a help, and crying too. Hahaha. So, to all the lurkers, favers, alerters and most especially the REVIEWERS, my deepest gratitude to you all. =3


	13. Ch13: Doppelgangers and Peace

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. (^w^)v

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 13 : ** Doppelgangers and Peace

It had been a while since the skylark had shown himself to the information dealer. Right after saying that interesting line which was, according to Reborn, the skylark's catch phrase, the younger of the look a-likes had attacked the information broker with his tonfas relentlessly.

But the attacks were rendered futile as the information dealer evaded every one of them. This certainly irked the tonfa-wielding teen to no end. The skylark knew that even the omnivore still have it hard when avoiding his strikes and yet the man was doing it as if he was used to such attacks. Well, the teen didn't know the fact that the Izaya was used to avoiding the rage of a certain man in bartender suit who always had some dangerous things thrown at him when he was being chased by the man.

Hibari stopped charging at the elusive information broker and thought of a way to stop the man's movements. He decided that perhaps he should use his hand-cuffs to prevent him from moving further. And if he was refrained, the skylark would finally be able to bite the man to death using his tonfas without difficulty. The teen replaced his favorite weapons with the binding metal.

When Izaya saw this, his interest was perked up and started snickering at the thought of the skylark's change of weapon.

"Hand-cuffs? Really?" Izaya's his face was mocking and the tone of the informant reminded the skylark of a certain pineapple bastard which pissed him off more.

"What of it?"

"Pfft..." Izaya now couldn't suppress the smirk forming on his lips. "Don't tell me you don't know the connotation of using hand-cuffs to 'bite me to death', do you?"

Hibari had no idea what the man was thinking about. But whatever that is, it was somewhat bothering him for some reason. He ignored the uneasy feeling (curiousity?) and the informant's irritating chuckles and proceeded on his plan regardless of what the would-be victim was thinking.

"I don't think you should be thinking about trivial matters right now."

Izaya saw the skylark disappear before him and suddenly felt cold metal wrap around his left wrist. He realized the teen's plan and before Hibari could put the other cuff on his right wrist, the information broker quickly brought his switchblade out. The man swiped the sharp metal infront of the skylark which caused him to move back. The Vongola Cloud guardian was unable to put the other cuff on the informant's other hand.

Lunging again, Hibari reached out to the dangling end of the metal which he easily caught and tugged it towards him. Of course, the informant neared the skylark surprised. This gave Hibari the perfect position to hit the information dealer hard on the gut. Izaya felt the pain but still freed himself from the Vongola guardian by attacking with his blade with several swipes. Hibari pulled back to elude the sharp weapon; pulling himself again from the information broker.

Izaya frowned at the dangling metal around his right wrist. It was uncomfortable and will definitely give openings for his opponent like what had happened before. Using his switchblade, he tried to pick the hand-cuffs' key hole. But unlike his previous tries before, he was unable to remove his hand from the irritating metal.

Hibari smirked seeing the normal neutral expression of the informant change to dismay. Even though he wasn't able to tie both hands of his opponent, his gesture had forced the informant to bring out his own weapon and take their match more seriously.

"You know, I really prefer staying outside the mosquito curtain." Izaya told his motto out-of-the-blue. "Being involved like this, is just not my type of game." Irritation lingered in the information dealer's voice.

Hibari stood there, his face unchanging but was carefully observing the information dealer. His opponent just declared that he'd rather blend in the background even though it was obvious that he was one of the people causing the trouble around the district. Hibari realized just what kind of person he was facing now.

"That just makes you even lower than a herbivore." The skylark voiced out his disgust. "I have another word for that: cowardice."

Izaya looked stunned at what the skylark stated. He remembered when Simon had punched him so hard and accused him of being a coward. He admitted it that time and was even proud to say that he liked that quality of his very much.

But when he heard it coming from the skylark, he felt so insulted and of course he knew why. He laughed maniacally thinking about it. Oh the irony of it all.

"Ah yes. I can't deny that." Hibari saw the conflicting emotions of the informant when he said this. He was using his normal carefree tone but the man's eyes were telling something else. It was obvious that the information dealer was controlling his irritation. "However, I may be a coward but that doesn't mean I'm not a good fighter, ne?"

Hibari readied his tonfas (he had already changed his weapons back to his favorite ones) and smirked at what the man said. "Whatever you say. I'll still bite you to death."

* * *

><p>Togusa peered at his side mirror for the fifth time, hoping to get a glimpse of his returning friends. It had been a while since Kadota, Erika, Yumasaki and Shizuo left his van to get information about the unknown men who got Mikado. Though he knew it may take them a while with the rumors of the Purple Limascon gang preparing a war against DOLLARS, he still hoped that the four would come back already.<p>

He leaned back and felt a vibration on his seat. He was sure that it wasn't his phone for he had switched it back to the normal tone settings before leaving Shinra's apartment.

He looked at the seat next to him and saw Kadota's phone. He picked it up and noticed that someone was calling. The call was coming from Shinra.

Togusa, feeling that the call was of importance, received the call even though it was not his phone. He'll just tell Kadota what he had done later.

"Hello?"

A sigh of relief was heard from the doctor before speaking. _'Thank goodness Kadota. I have been calling and yet no one is answering his phone. I've called Shizuo several times but he wasn't picking up.'_

"Shinra. This is Togusa. Kadota left his phone here in my van. He and the rest went to the Purple Limascon hide-out already to check the boss about Mikado's kidnappers." The driver informed the underground doctor.

_'About that. You should call them back quick. We already had figured out who the kidnappers are and where to find them. Celty and the two kids are already going there. I really hope Tsuna-san's plan will work but... you guys still need to follow them.'_

"Huh? What? And who are those people?", he paused and followed-up another question. "And why is the new kid involved and having a plan?"

_'There's no time to explain but trust me that Tsuna-san is the only one who should handle the kidnappers.'_

Togusa was startled at the doctor's insistence. The kid was going to handle Mikado's kidnappers? That sounded crazy. "Err- Okay. Got it. I won't ask anymore. But expect a call from us later. I think e should know more details. After getting the others, where should we go?"

_'You know the popular games' center here in Ikebukuro today? The one situated on the high building?'_

"Sounds familiar. But I think Erika and Yumasaki will know about that place."

_'Great. Go there quickly. I really hope you still get to see Celty and the kids before doing the plan.'_

"Right."

The call ended quickly. Togusa started the van's engine, thinking about how he would bust his friends out in case they were in a middle of a fight. (which was happening without a doubt)

The call had also left him wondering just why the doctor, the black rider and Kida agreed to let the Ikebukuro visitor, the tiny brown-haired kid, handle the kidnapping situation.

That really doesn't make any sense.

* * *

><p>Unlike their first face-off, it was Izaya who had started the attack. He used the dangling metal on his left hand as a distraction; hitting it to the skylark's face. Hibari dodged quite easily but was caught off guard by the approaching switchblade aimed at his arm. Izaya had stabbed Hibari's right arm successfully.<p>

The skylark winced at the pain caused by wound but it didn't stop the tonfa-wielding teen in striking the information dealer. He had already given the man two blows on his chest and left arm. The two exchanged attacks simultaneously and pulled themselves away from each other to catch their breaths.

"As expected of the strongest Vongola guardian. It has been a while since I have been this serious in fighting and I'm surprised that you have matched me."

Hibari twitched. Not only did Izaya call him that title like those herbivores, he was insinuating that he was stronger as the skylark. The Vongola cloud guardian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the now smiling informant.

Then, a phone rang which was obviously Izaya's. The information dealer did not hesitate pulling out to see the new message even if he currently battling with the skylark. When he saw it, he smirked at his look alike.

"I think I should share you this interesting information for entertaining me so much."

Hibari stood still but was listening intently to whatever the informant had to say. He was getting impatient and wanted to continue the battle with the man.

"Your boss is having some business with the Pedine Famiglia, right now. Aren't you worried?"

The Vongola cloud guardian didn't show his surprise at the information the man had shared him. He agreed to go in Ikebukuro because of the baby's deal with him. He was to tail the weak herbivores in case they follow the omnivore. But if that stupid group was involved, he knew that it was something serious.

"That's really not my problem. And I don't follow anyone."

Despite his answer, Hibari returned his tonfas under his coat and turned around to leave the place.

"However, it won't be good if the omnivore got in trouble and get defeated by some low-life. I won't permit it. And you – " cold eyes glared directly at the information dealer. "if you get in my way again, I'll definitely bite you to death."

Just a few seconds and he was gone, leaving an information dealer laughing to his heart's content.

"Interesting. Just Interesting! Someone as fierce as him was completely under the Vongola Decimo even if he doesn't admit it."

He laughed some more but he suddenly groaned when he felt the injuries given to him by the Vongola Cloud guardian.

"Tch. This is why hiding in the shadows will always be the best position."

* * *

><p>Shizuo was occupied by the two kids as they battled it out non-stop. Shizuo had thrown almost all the furnitures (boxes, chairs, posts) available in the area. Gokudera had almost ran out of dynamites which wasn't part of the Sistema CAI. Yamamoto was already feeling tired after exchanging strikes with the blonde.<p>

The three were in a stalemate and were currently preparing for their final attacks.

Meanwhile, Kadota and Ryohei were already sprawled on the floor exhausted but both were still trying to get up.

That was when the mist cleared out revealing Chrome, Lambo and the two DOLLARS teens.

"Everyone! That's enough." Chrome cried out to her fellow guardians. All of them stopped and looked at the Mist guardian in confusion.

Erika and Yumasaki saw the struggling Kadota and walked briskly towards the man to help him. Shizuo, who looked worse than Kadota still managed to support himself and approached his fellow members while eyeing the duo he fought with. Chrome and Lambo went to Gokudera and Yamamoto's side with Ryohei following her behind.

"Chrome, why did you stop the plan?" Yamamoto who was actually panting, questioned the pineapple-haired guardian.

"We – We don't have to fight them. Erika-san and Yumasaki-san told me that they were not involved in the Pedine Famiglia. And, " she paused looking at the still puzzled expressions of her fellow guardians. "They are actually the DOLLARS who were with Boss."

"Dokuro. Weren't they denying knowing Jyuudaime before? Don't tell me you got trick-"

"No, Chrome-chan is telling the truth." The Vongola guardian's looked at the DOLLARS group. The girl, Erika and light-brown haired boy, Yumasaki was leading the two older DOLLARS members towards them.

The two groups faced each other again. Shizuo still looked alert and cautious of the kids (and was still glaring at the duo he fought) while Kadota just listened to what his kouhai and the weird looking girl has to say. The Storm, Rain and Sun guardians were impatiently waiting for the explanation.

"I mean, until now I still can't believe it." Yumasaki nodded at the girl's ramblings. "I was really surprised when Chrome-chan described your Boss to us." Erika turned to the teens to reason out to them. "We told you before that we don't know because we really didn't know he was your leader. He even told me he was not in a gang."

The guardians looked at each other. All of them were thinking 'Well, Vongola isn't a gang.'

"Erika, even I can't follow you." Kadota said bluntly.

"Dotachin, Shizuo-san, you know him too. He was with us in Shinra-san's apartment."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"."

"You are not telling me Tsuna is the leader of this weird kids, are you?" Shizuo broke the defeaning silence.

Then all hell broke loose.

"YOU FUCKING BARTENDER MAN! HOW DARE YOU CALL JYUUDAIME BY HIS FIRST NAME?" Yamamoto, who had smiled after the mention of Tsuna's name, was preventing Gokudera from doing another assault to Shizuo.

"OH! EXTREME! I KNEW THEY REALLY KNOW SAWADA."

"So, that confirms it." Erika and Yumasaki looked at the stunned older DOLLARS members. Both gaped at the sudden change in personalities of the teens they just fought. And it looked like both of them were still processing the new outrageous information they just discovered.

The leader of the weird, dangerous kids was the nice Ikebukuro visitor they had met and had helped them in the the crisis they had been facing.

Kadota recalled the kid and could not believe that he was some kind of leader of some kind of weird group.

Shizuo remembered his outburst and realized that he just insulted that nice boy from Namimori he was really fond of.

"- DOTACHIIN! SHIZUO-SAN snap out of it!"

Both older men looked funny when they saw that all the teens were focusing on them. Kadota mocked cough while Shizuo averted his eyes from the Vongola guardians.

"So, DOLLARS isn't really under Pedine?" Yamamoto inquired the teens.

"Yeah. We don't know anything about this group right, Kadota-san?" Yumasaki looked up to the more experienced gangster. Kadota nodded and looked at his former opponent.

"You also mentioned this Pedine to me. What is that group anyway? Some kind of rival of yours?"

Ryohei answered. "Something like that. I'm extremely confused about them as well."

"Shut it Turf-top. Don't speak up if you don't know what to say!" Gokudera looked at Kadota and gave some details.

"Pedine's a newly formed family which had been against Vongola's new policies. Though, they are not a threat now, we are monitoring family's movements. That's all I could tell you."

The serious speech Gokudera made the DOLLARS members wonder just what kind of group the kids were part of. The silver-haired teen just said that they are monitoring some other group because it's against their new policy.

"That topic aside... Is Tsuna alright? Do you know where he is?"

"We left him to that apartment so that they won't be caught up in this." It was Shizuo who answered Yamamoto's query. Shizuo can't believe that he had been calm after what had happened between him and the kids. Maybe knowing the real reason of the fight really shocked him to the core and had overthrown all the rage he had towards the teens.

The guardian's looked at each other and faced the DOLLARS members.

"Anou... I think we should apologize to you." Chrome looked at Erika and Yumasaki who nodded in response.

"Don't worry about it. It was a misunderstanding. Though, you kids really gave us a hard time. You really fought well." Kadota looked at his boxing opponent. Ryohei walked up to Kadota and stretched his hand.

"Sorry about all this, old man. Don't worry, I'll just fix you and the bartender guy."

Kadota sighed at the name the boxer still had for him and shook his hand. "Kadota, not old man."

"It was extreme fighting with you, Kadota-jii. I'm Sasagawa Ryohei." Erika and Yumasaki snickered at the stubbornness of the Sun guardian.

"You were really tough.. uhh... Shizuo-san. Sorry about before. But we still didn't like what you said about Tsuna." Yamamoto faced Shizuo who just harrumphed.

"Well, I – didn't know that he was your boss. That's my fault." Shizuo sighed. He was not used to apologizing. "The two of you were a good team. I still don't like you though." Gokudera scowled at the blonde and replied.

"I have nothing to do with that Yakyuu-Baka. And I don't like you either. Stop calling Jyuudaime by his first name!"

"Maa, maa. Gokudera. That's enough."

Kadota cleared his throat to get the attention of the bickering teens. "I guess you should go back to the apartment so that these kids would already meet up with Tsuna. Erika, Yumasaki, escort them to Togusa so that you could go back. Shizuo and I still need to find that Purple Limascon boss."

The others realized that their purpose on going to the hide-out was nowhere in sight. Erika and Yumasaki agreed quickly and lead the Vongola guardians outside the abandoned warehouse. But when they got out, they saw Togusa's van approaching the entrance and after a few moments, the van stopped in front of them and Togusa looked at the two teens.

"Erika, Yumasaki. Where's Kadota?"

Kadota and Shizuo heard the voice of Togusa and hurried to the entrance. "Togusa, why are you here?"

"Good. All of you get in the van. We're going to the headquarter's of Mikado's kidnappers."

"Huh? How did you know it Togusacchi?"

Togusa handed the phone left in his van to its rightful owner and answered. "Shinra called. He gave me the place where to meet the Black Rider and her company. It seems that kid, what's his name again, Tuna?, is having a plan. But I'm not so sure. Heck, I don't even know why the doctor's depending on the kid." Then he noticed the four teens and the cow-brat with the others gaping at him. "Who are these kids?"

"You!" Gokudera neared at the driver menacingly. "Did you just say Jyuudaime is handling some kidnapping?"

"Oi Tako-head. Don't frighten him! He doesn't know about Sawada."

"Togusa. Do you have other details? Who are the kidnappers?" Kadota inquired the driver. He shrugged at the question.

"No, I don't. You should just call Shinra again. Anyway, get in the car. Are these kids coming?" He eyed the weird kids who were talking to each other.

"Of course we are! We should be with Tsuna if he's involved himself in something dangerous again."

The other guardians agreed as well. The DOLLARS members who were with them were wondering about that comment about Tsuna involving himself in something dangerous AGAIN. "Togusacchi, they are friends of Tsuna-chan." Gokudera glared at the otaku girl which she ignored. "So, they should be with us."

"Okay. I guess we'll all fit in if we try."

Fortunately, they found a way to fit ten people inside the small van. The vehicle zoomed fast towards the Pedine Famiglia's hide-out with the Vongola guardians who were finally seeing their boss and the DOLLARS who are hoping to rescue theirs.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

This chapter is dedicated to all those who love Hibari and Izaya. (especially you Eggbert8000 for being such a wonderful fellow Xover fan =3) But I think I failed writing Hibari. :C *sighs* That scene on which Izaya got angered with Hibari because of something, I know I'm being vague there. I can't explain it but I know there's something about Hibari that would definitely stir Izaya up. Who agrees with me?

So, I hope the shock factor is enough especially to our generals. And yeah. Finally, next chapter is Tsuna. Mikado. And Pedine.

Comments, Suggestion, Violent reactions most definitely welcome. And thanks to your continuous support to this story! *hugs all*

PS. I reached the 100+ reviews mark. 0_o I really never expected that. Thanks to all of you awesome people!


	14. Interlude: Leadership

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. (^w^)v

**APPOINTMENTS **

**Interlude :** Leadership

Never did he dream of being an heir to the most powerful mafia family in existence.

He had been bullied when he was younger until his first year in middle school. He was the weakest amongst the students and was known to be the class dunce. He was the laughing stock of his class. He never did anything right.

Until a certain infant hitman declared that he was going to be his tutor and make him into a proper mafia boss.

His world turned upside down.

He began to improve. He met the weirdest people but he gained real friends, his family. He became content and happy.

But with that bliss came the consequences of being in the mafia.

He experienced hardships (or torture for that matter). He got involved in every dangerous situation he never thought would happen to him. He faced all the things he feared the most.

Who said he wanted to be a leader of an organized crime group? How could he risk his most precious people to face danger?

The underground world was darkness. It was a world full of peril and despair. That time when he had seen the sin of the Vongola, he swore he would never shoulder the burden and do those grave crimes.

He would rather destroy the Vongola than continue leading it to that path of destruction.

And then, he was accepted. Simply because he has in his heart the true will of the group.

The Vongola Famiglia was originally founded as a Vigilante group; a group which protected the simple folk from the evil ways of those people in power from that time.

And the mafia boss was the hero of the slums. The hope of the oppressed and the poor. He never really thought about it seriously like that, the first time his tutor had him read about it.

Little by little, he understood. The denials became less. And then, he had accepted whole-heartedly.

He was chosen to return Vongola to its true purpose.

He realized the things he could do and things he could change. To protect.

And he wouldn't do it alone. He knows he have his family to support him. They would always be there all the way.

The underground world may be darkness. But he knows he could start the change.

He was, after all, the sky that encompasses all.

* * *

><p>The DOLLARS was founded on a whim. It was to entertain certain people out of boredom.<p>

But when it got out of control, getting so many members joining and suddenly gaining a bad reputation due to acts of some people claiming to be members, the founders suddenly feared it and they quit one by one.

Except him.

He was the only person left who was responsible for making DOLLARS. He considered quitting too, but something in him refused to just abandon the responsibility.

He was one to start DOLLARS, isn't it his job to at least rectify the wrong impression to the group?

It wasn't a gang founded to be used for violence, he even envisioned it to help people even in little ways.

Which was a bit ironic, with the fact that DOLLARS got so many members because it doesn't have any rules. The members don't need to do anything.

But, well, it's not really prohibited to actually try and convince the other members with his idea yes?

And so, as just another member, he suggested some missions which helped the city in little ways and would at least make a good impression about DOLLARS. Like, painting a wall full of vandalism clean for example.

And he was just glad that there were people in DOLLARS who shares his ideals.

And then he came to Ikebukuro. The city known to be the heart of the color gangs and the group he had founded.

He pretended not knowing about DOLLARS, getting to know personally from people what they thought about the group in his care.

Despite the good acts of the group, the bad reputation gained more attention. DOLLARS was even feared by the residents and members were assumed to be the bad guys.

As much as it pained him to hear negative things about DOLLARS, it's not like he could just appear as the leader suddenly and give orders.

That would not fit into the nature of DOLLARS.

So he waited. He just waited.

His first attempt to act as the leader was when he had called for the very first assembly of DOLLARS to solve some mystery concerning the kidnappings in the city. He just hoped for the numbers for his plan to succeed.

It was successful, yes. But it just confirmed that there is really someone there who is the boss.

It was him.

Months passed and he returned to just keeping an eye to the group. Then, incidents concerning people getting hurt began in Ikebukuro.

The Slasher-incidents, it was called.

No one knew who the slasher was. The existence of the slasher, however, triggered a sort-of rivalry between the DOLLARS and the Yellow Scarves to become an unstoppable war.

The Yellow Scarves shogun was not pleased with the slasher as his friend got hurt by him. He hunted the perpetrator down.

The slasher was suspected to be in DOLLARS. It followed that DOLLARS wanted to fight with the Yellow Scarves.

It was a mess.

For his bestfriend, the reason why he went to Ikebukuro, was the Yellow Scarves shogun.

DOLLARS members quit one by one, fearing the assaults of the Yellow Scarves.

He couldn't do anything. He wanted to stop the war. He didn't want any of this things to happen.

He disbanded the group.

He confronted the impending war as himself, wanting to help his bestfriend.

But, when he was there, he saw that the DOLLARS, despite disbanding the group and not putting up the site for it, had helped and made a move to stop the Yellow Scarves.

The Yellow Scarves that was actually not in his bestfriend's control anymore.

After the fiasco, he had thought about what DOLLARS is really about.

And he thought, no, he knew that there is still hope for the group to become what he envisioned it to be.

He could become its leader without breaking its nature. As admin, he could just mingle with the members, share his ideals. Hope that it would spread to the members.

It was accepted. He was the admin, he was talking with the members, but he knew that the DOLLARS nature was not affected.

Members got more active helping in Ikebukuro.

It was everything he had hoped for.

* * *

><p>Both wanted to make a difference for the better. Both had accepted the responsibility.<p>

And both will do the best they can to fulfill what they had resolved to do.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

First of, Merry (belated) Christmas and a Happy New Year! =D

Sorry if it took me a month to update. December is a really hectic month in our country, all celebrations happen (weddings, reunions, parties et al.) and I also admit that I'm having a writer's block because I figured I messed up big time in the setting and situations.

But I think I'm finally clearing up the details so I presented you first this very short filler-y 'interlude'. Nothing here that you don't know. It's not much but I think this will serve as reference to what would happen on the future chapters like why would they do such things and the likes.

So yeah... expect a chapter or more for the next days. And thank you for reading Appointments. =D


	15. Ch14: Suspicions

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. (^u^)v

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 14 : ** Suspicions

As Shinra's companion, Celty had been exposed to people connected to the underground world.

Sometimes in the dead of the night, the doorbell of their apartment would ring and Shinra and she would hurriedly fetch the expected patients of the underground doctor. Also, she had been in touch with one of the executives of Awakusu-kai, Shiki, and had been doing odd jobs as courier for them as the group had given her favor when she arrived in Ikebukuro about twenty years ago.

And with her experience with those sort of people, she was really bothered when the kind-looking kid from Namimori, Tsuna-san, claimed to be part of mafia. It was not that she was doubting him, she could tell that the boy was not lying.

But, how could he get involved in something so dark and dangerous?

Sawada Tsunayoshi looked too innocent to be part of mafia. However, something inside her was sensing more from the teen. Like when he and Shinra were discussing about the kidnappers of Mikado, her shadows had felt unease without her knowing the reason. The uncomfortable feeling she had became more unbearable when she had a glimpse of the boy's sunset colored-eyes. She knew something changed in the boy, and when his eyes returned to their normal brown-colored ones, all the heaviness she felt were completely gone.

After all that she had seen and felt, it became hard for her to trust the brunet all of a sudden, no matter how fond she was of the boy before. But seeing how her lover was giving his full trust to the Ikebukuro visitor in this whole ordeal, she had decided to ignore her misgivings towards the boy and give the brunet the benefit of the doubt.

When they had arrived infront of the games' center building, she had felt the uneasiness again and she turned immediately to whom she knew was the source: the brown-haired teen. She was surprised when she saw him already looking at her straight, those changed orange orbs of his piercing every shadows in her body.

He was as if reading her very soul.

And then suddenly he smiled at her calmly and all the wariness she felt were gone again even if his eyes were still of those sunset color.

"Don't worry Celty-san. I will make sure that everything's going to be alright for Mikado-san and for DOLLARS. Just trust me, okay?"

He told her this in a very soft whisper. Kida was not able to hear the brunet banishing her doubts about him.

And she knew she had complete faith in Tsuna-san once again. Just like her lover.

But one question still remains for the dullahan to ponder.

Who is Sawada Tsunayoshi really?

Her PDA rang signaling a call. A call. Only Izaya calls when he has something urgent for her to do. She was rather surprised when she saw Shinra's name on the screen.

Celty fidgeted.

She had forgotten something really important this time.

* * *

><p>He wanted to call Celty but couldn't because any minute now, the others who went to the Purple Limascon gang hide-out would be contacting him. He figured he would just call his lover and inform the Vongola Decimo about the others after hearing from them. Besides, he had told Celty to text him if they were already in the Pedine Famiglia's headquarters and since there wasn't any, it was safe to say they haven't arrived there yet.<p>

He decided to initiate a call again but his phone rang. He was glad when he saw that the call was coming from Kadota. He picked it up and answered it quickly.

"Hello. I'm glad I could now speak with you Kadota."

_'Shinra' _started the experienced gangster. _'Is it really true that you already know who Mikado's kidnappers are? And Togusa said you allowed Tsuna to handle it?'_ Kadota had skipped the formalities and asked the underground doctor straight to the point.

Shinra was surprised when he did not detect any doubts in the man's tone about Tsuna doing the plan. He was expecting the shadow-banchou (the title Izaya had called Kadota for being like a background boss of DOLLARS) to reprimand him for involving the Ikebukuro visitor in their crisis. Those minutes waiting for the DOLLARS prominent member's call were spent thinking about how he could convince them to trust the plan with Tsuna without revealing the Vongola Decimo's identity. Considering how calmly Kadota talked about it, he hoped his task would be easily accomplished.

"That's right. Kida was able to tell us more about the people he had encountered and we were able to identify them. It was a group named Pedine and it was Tsuna-san who figured it out." Shinra heard a grunt from the other side of the line and then silence, until the underground doctor asked. "Hey Kadota. Are you still there?"

_'…...I am. I'm just surprised that's all.'_ Shinra raised an eyebrow at what he heard. Could it be Kadota knows about the Pedine Family? _'Did you really just say Pedine?'_

Shinra couldn't help but fill his curiousity. "Yes. What do you know about the Pedine?"

_'Nothing much. –'_ Shinra furrowed his brows in this _'except the fact that it's the name of the so-called rival of Tsuna's er- weird group.'_

Shinra was absolutely confused with what he had heard from Kadota. And he thought it was him who was going to have some explaining to do. He couldn't think of how Kadota knew such things.

"You know about the Vongola? And did you say Pedine is its rival?" Another thing that worried him was this new piece of information. The Vongola Decimo never mentioned to him that Pedine isn't in good terms with the Vongola.

Kadota could sense the confusion of the underground doctor. He sighed and decided to tell the whole story about what had happened to them in the Purple Limascon gang hide-out. _'Let me explain from the start.'_

The shadow-banchou narrated to the underground doctor how they met a group of kids searching for their lost boss. He told Shinra a shortened account on the misunderstanding between the DOLLARS and the kids and how they managed to clear up the situation. Finally, he told Shinra that the kids from Namimori, Tsuna's friends, were with them as they head to the place of Mikado's kidnappers.

From what the underground doctor had gathered, it looked like the DOLLARS members doesn't know that Tsuna's weird group is actually an Italian mafia family – no scratch that – the most prestigious mafia family in existence. The DOLLARS members who met with the Vongola guardians just think of the Vongola as another gang like the usual. Shinra figured it was wiser for them to continue believing their assumption.

About Pedine, Shinra became more anxious when he heard from Kadota that Vongola was monitoring the activities of Pedine according to one of Tsuna's friends. So was that another reason why Tsuna-san, no, the Vongola Decimo agreed to negotiate in behalf of DOLLARS?

But, if Vongola wasn't in good terms with the Vongola, wouldn't that mean the negotiation was something risky? Shinra knows just how deception is rampant in the underground world and sending the soon-to-be highest ranked person of a certain family to its rival family isn't the best idea. And that was what they just did.

Most likely, the Vongola Decimo had known all of these from the start but with all the risks involved, he still asked for their trust and promised to what he could in rescuing the DOLLARS boss.

Knowing that, Shinra wanted to stop the call and contact his lover immediately to inform them about the others and tell Vongola Decimo that his guardians were here in Ikebukuro. If he was going to negotiate in such conditions, at least Tsuna could use the company of his guardians. That would definitely lower the risks in this situation which somehow turned much more complicated.

"Thanks for explaining it to me Kadota. I think you already have more information than I do about the Pedine. I need to hang up now and contact Tsuna-san to wait for you."

_'Wait. You haven't told me the details of the plan yet and how you knew about the Vongola. Also – ' _Kadota hesitated for a moment and spoke in a much softer voice. _'I know that Vongola isn't just a normal gang and I want to know more about them. Shinra, you know about them don't you? I have already remembered all those gangs and Yakuza groups in Japan but Vongola isn't part of them. Something is fishy about Tsuna's group.'_

Shinra paused as he thought about what to reply to Kadota's query. It looked like Kadota was already suspecting. He sighed and answered the best thing he could say.

"I can't actually tell you what I know of about the Vongola because it's really complicated. Maybe, if you have crossed that world, you would definitely know. But one thing I assure you, Tsuna-san is doing his best to help us. Whatever you find out, just trust him. About the plan, just trust him too."

Shinra had cut the call, not waiting for Kadota's reactions to what he just said. He immediately dialed Celty's number and listened to the ring of the dullahan's PDA. A beep was heard and Shinra immediately spoke.

"Celty, please give the phone to Vo– Tsuna-san."

The call abruptly ended which startled the underground doctor. He had a bad feeling about that. He then received a message from his lover.

[Shinra. I'm so, so, so sorry I forgot to tell you we're already here in the Pedine hide-out. Tsuna-san and Kida-kun had already gone inside and went to see the kidnappers. I am just waiting here outside so I can't give him the phone. Do you want to tell him something? I'm really, really sorry.]

Shinra couldn't believe that the dullahan had forgotten such a detail like that. Right now, the Vongola Decimo is already negotiating with the Pedine Famiglia.

The underground doctor hoped that everything would go smoothly. But something tells him, it wouldn't be that easy.

* * *

><p>"What the heck is that doctor thinking?" Kadota stared at his phone after being cut-off from the call. Instead of getting the details about Mikado's kidnappers and the plan, it was him who did the explaining the whole conversation. He was seriously annoyed at how the underground doctor abruptly ended their conversation.<p>

The others stared astonished at the sudden outburst of the usually calm man. Yumasaki and Erika looked worried at their senpai and Togusa couldn't help but glance at his friend even if he was busy driving. The Vongola guardians who were discussing something stopped and remained still as if waiting for something.

"Oi. Kadota. What is it?"

Shizuo was the only one who had the courage to ask the man who looked really pissed off that moment. It was his first time to see his former schoolmate in highschool with that kind of expression.

Kadota sighed and cleared his mind of the unwelcome emotions he was feeling.

"Sorry about that. It was just Shinra didn't really explain everything to me. It was as if he needed to do something more urgent than sharing us the information about the kidnappers. And he became like that when he knew about you kids."

He looked at the Vongola guardians who stared at him confusedly. "Looks like he knew even before that Tsuna is the leader of Vongola."

Gokudera nodded thoughtfully and turned to his fellow guardians. "So, someone from DOLLARS actually knows about Jyuudaime, huh?"

The others nodded and got the hidden message: that someone knows their real identity and even Tsuna's. That may be one of the reasons why their boss decided to help DOLLARS in rescuing their kidnapped boss. Of course, they all know that the main reason is because Tsuna is the kind of person who would definitely help those who needed it.

"Anou... I'm sure whatever the plan is, if Boss made it, it would definitely be successful." All DOLLARS members were stunned at the timid pineapple-haired girl's bold exclamation.

"Most likely, Tsuna would talk with the kidnappers and convince them to release your boss."

"Don't worry! Sawada will extremely do well!"

"Lambo-sama will help Tsuna-nii too!"

Even if the enthusiasm the kids showed towards their boss' plan was making him at ease, he couldn't help but think about what the loud boxer had said when he was fighting with him and what the scowling silver-haired kid had stated about Mikado's kidnappers. If they knew that the Pedine were the group they were facing here, will their reactions remain the same?

Also, questions about the Vongola lingered in his head. With what Shinra had told him, he was getting more and more suspicious.

Knowing about the Vongola is complicated and perhaps, if he had crossed that world, he would surely know.

This statement had made him confused the most. The doctor's departing message could only confirm tha Vongola is something big. And Shinra's insistence to trust the brunet was something unnatural.

Kadota could feel a growing headache and realized just how exhausted he was. All these thinking he was doing and that fight with the loud white-haired teen had finally get to him. He sighed and massaged his aching temples which did not go unnoticed by his former opponent.

"Oi Kadota-jii. You alright?"

"Hmm.. Just a little strained that's all."

Shuffling was heard from behind Kadota caused by the loud boxer. Ryohei was retrieving something from his pocket which looked like a small candy container. When he already had it in his hands, he looked at Gokudera who scowled but nodded.

Then, the boxer turned again to the DOLLARS members and grinned.

"You should take one of this old man. You too bartender guy! This will help you regain strength to the extreme."

Kadota and Shizuo looked at each other and then skeptically at the odd yellow candy balls that were given by the white-haired boxer.

Ryohei looked at his friends and offered them as well.

"You guys should take some sun pills, too."

Chrome silently picked two pills and gave the one to the cow-brat in his delight. Yamamoto reached out to the boxer to get two sun pills.

"Ahaha... I think I really need some of those senpai! Thanks!" He plopped one pill down his throat eagerly.

"I don't need any. Just save some for Jyuudaime." Gokudera huffed but suddenly choked when he felt a pill forcefully put in his mouth. "What was that for – Yakyuu-baka!"

"I knew you wouldn't take any even if you need it so I just fed you one!" the raven-haired teen grinned sheepishly while the silver-haired teen fumed silently. Eerily, a faint squeal was heard while the two was talking.

"Ryohei-san, you should give some to Yumasaki-san and Togusa-san as well." suggested Chrome which was understood immediately by the boxer. The odd yellow candy balls were passed to the men.

The Vongola guardians ate their pills like it was normal for them. Meanwhile, the others sighed and followed hesitantly.

Whatever the pill was made of, the DOLLARS felt the effects rapidly. Kadota's headache faded and somehow he felt relieved. Shizuo's whole body stopped aching anymore. Suddenly, the hurting injuries Togusa and Yumasaki had in their fight with the Purple Limascon gang were gone.

"What the heck is this candy?"

A chuckle was heard and Yamamoto spoke about the sun pills. "It's really effective, ne? They're the best treatment when you're really tired! Senpai especially made them."

All of the DOLLARS turned to look at the extreme boxer who didn't look like he could make something that amazing. Another mystery about the kids had been added to Kadota's knowledge.

The kids defeated a whole band of experienced gangsters and were still able to face off with him and Shizuo. The silver-haired teen had a mind too cunning and uses dynamites in fights. The weird timid girl uses illusions and his boxing opponent was not only tough to beat, he could also make some weird candy healing balls. If he knew better, the cow-kid could have some mysterious weapon and the always cheery guy was as strong as the others as well.

"Hey old man." Kadota turned to see green-eyes looking at him. He could see that Gokudera had just finished thinking about something. "From the call, does the guy told you if the kidnappers is some group?"

The question had returned Kadota his worries. Now, he could see what the Vongola kids would do after knowing about who the kidnappers are.

"Ah yes. Actually, it's something of your concern, too. Coincidentally, our boss was taken by the Pedine you guys told us about."

Tension grew inside the van and the grim faces of the Vongola kids did not sit well with Kadota. Those reactions was too much for just a group monitoring another group's activities. There was something deeper there.

Whatever was happening, it was too much for a coincidence.

* * *

><p>Despite the injuries he felt from his fight against the Vongola Cloud guardian, Orihara Izaya couldn't stop grinning as he looked at the latest message he had received.<p>

The Vongola Decimo is finally facing the Pedine boss to rescue the DOLLARS leader.

The crystal king is currently in the black pawn's area.

The ryuu-ou knows.

The final part of the game had begun.

Of course, he wouldn't take any steps interfering the clash. He had already done his part and did all the necessary things to get to this point. Even if there were so much unexpected things that occurred, all had gone according to what was suppose to happen.

Now, the only thing he could do was witness what was going to unfold.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Yeah! Sooner update is better. Hope you liked the first official chapter of Appointments this year. XD

The chapter is shorter than expected but I needed to cut it here. If not, it will be too long instead.

I said that chap14 will be Tsuna and Mikado but bear with me. I'm preparing myself for what I am about to write. *meditates*

Comments, Suggestions, Violent Reactions most definitely welcome. It'll really be a great help if you guys could put what you think about it (flaws, inconsistencies, loop holes and the likes).

And thanks to your continuous support to this story!


	16. Ch15: The Negotiation

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. The author does not, in any means, gain any profit by writing this fanfiction except the enjoyment of sharing ideas to others. (^Δ^)v

* * *

><p><strong>0119/2012: **beta-ed by **TotallySweetFantasy **=3

* * *

><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER 15: **The Negotiation

Celty's motorcycle whined as it parked in front of a tall building that loomed high above everything around it. The building that had a game center on its first three floors was as lively as usual. Costumers, usually groups of teens and sometimes lone office workers, were often seen entering and leaving. One would never suspect the place to be the business front of a mafia family.

Realizing that he would be talking with another family's boss, Tsuna knew that he must act accordingly. His Vongola Decimo façade might invite questions from the others later, but it was necessary. He needed to look as official as possible if he was going to negotiate with another mafia group.

Tsuna sighed and closed his eyes to calm himself. When he opened them, it was as if he became another person, his boss mask was firmly in place. As his perception increased, he felt Celty's uneasiness besides him.

He could feel that she was somewhat scared of him. Wanting to ease the dullahan's mind, he smiled and spoke to her calmly. "Don't worry Celty-san. I will make sure that everything's going to be alright for Mikado-san and for Dollars. Just trust me, okay?"

Tsuna sighed in relief as he felt her tension subside after his reassurance. They held each other's gaze, Tsuna's caramel eyes staring unwavering at her.

"So, how do we get to their office? I don't see a door saying _Pedine Famigilia's Headquarters, Enter and Die_ anywhere." Kida interrupted Tsuna and Celty's silent conversation with his sarcastic joke.

"We're going inside the arcade." Tsuna ignored his joke.

Kida stared at the brunet not comprehending Tsuna's answer.

Seeing his confusion, Celty quickly typed up an explanation:

[Kida-kun, the game center is probably the legal business front of the Pedine in this area. Organizations usually have some sort of establishment that hides their main office.]

"Really? I didn't know that. Then that means this game center is owned by some bad people?" Kida narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the entrance. "So, we just need to tell the employees we want to meet their boss, right?" He asked.

Celty nodded but she was actually not entirely sure so she looked at Tsuna.

Tsuna stared calmly at the building. "Normally, that would get you into trouble." Both Ikebukuroans cringed at Tsuna's reply. "However, I think we have valid reasons so it'll be fine."

Kida was started at Tsuna's change in demeanor that had affected his voice as well. He wondered if this was Tsuna's Mafioso appearance. He remembered how Mikado and he discussed for hours on what Tsuna really was. He couldn't imagine how Mikado would react when he learn of Tsuna's real identity.

"Are you ready?" Tsuna looked at his two companions expectantly. Kida just nodded. Celty, however, shook her helmet and typed in her PDA:

[I don't think I should go in. It would cause a ruckus if the black rider appeared in broad daylight.]

Tsuna and Kida understood the dullahan's point and agreed that she would just wait near open field a block away. The brunet and the blonde walked side by side as they went inside the game center.

They had finally entered the Pedine Famiglia's headquarters.

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><p>The building looked normal, if not a little more elaborately furnished, game center. But what caught Tsuna's attention was the emblem of the Pedine Famiglia blatantly displayed at the counter. The family's logo was a black pawn, and to the untrained eye would be mixed in with the other elaborate decor.<p>

Kida looked around as he tried to identify any suspicious people as a Mafioso. He stopped when Tsuna signaled for him to follow. The two walked to the counter and looked up at the female employee who worked there. Tsuna spotted the same badge on her shirt that identified her as a member.

The female employee noticed Tsuna's stare and directed her attention to them. "Good evening sirs. How may I help you?" She spoke to them politely but with a hint of sternness.

"We would like to talk to your boss." Kida answered the inquiry hastily. Several men turned their heads in their direction, and shot nasty looks to Kida and Tsuna.

Feeling the unwanted attention, Tsuna sighed inwardly at his blonde companion's impatience but let it go because he understood Kida's desire to rescue his friend.

The female employee's brows contorted, "excuse me but do you have an appointment with him?" She asked with confusion.

"No..." the female employee raised her brows. Kida knew she was being reluctant, so he added quickly to his reply. "But we have to see him. He – ", Kida's stopped when he felt Tsuna grab his arm in warning. The blonde was surprised and embarrassed when he saw a scolding look from Tsuna. He knew he was acting impulsively again.

"I'm sorry but we didn't arrange an appointment. However, we have something really important to discuss with him." Tsuna spoke so courteously the female employee was so surprised that she stuttered her dismissal.

"Umm... You see, no one is allowed to meet with him without an appointment."

"If that's the case, would you be so kind to tell your boss about us then?" Tsuna smiled calmly at the woman.

Kida stood there amazed at how Tsuna was handling the strict lady. He never knew that Tsuna could be such a smooth talker.

"The truth is, that's not allowed, but since you had asked... I'll see what I can do." She turned around to hide her blush and proceeded to the intercom attached on the wall. She placed a small receiver on her ear and pressed a red button. After a minute, she returned on the counter with an expression of uncertainty and warned the brunet and blonde.

"The boss's subordinates are on their way here. I – I think I shouldn't have done that. You guys are in deep trouble."

"No. That's alright. We'll handle the rest. Thank you very much for helping us." Tsuna tilted his head in gratitude which was returned with a doubtful smile.

Moments later, the lift strictly used by the employees opened and three men in black suits walked out.

Kida turned and stepped forward. He immediately recognized the three men. They were the ones who had hurt him and taken Mikado away. He growled as he watched the sinister smiles of the Mafiosi. His gaze lingered on the man with the scar on his left eyebrow; he was the one who had threatened to kill him.

The scarred man, the Pedine boss's right-hand man, felt the blonde's stare and smiled grimly. He didn't notice Tsuna who was blocked from his sight. He stopped in front of Kida, glaring menacingly at the blonde. The two large men shadowed his sides.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? I can't believe the former Yellow Scarves shogun managed to follow us. If you're here, then I presume you already know who we are." He smirked.

"Of course, I do. Where is Mikado? What have you done with him?" Kida barely managed to restrain himself from making a scene. The men were surprised at the blonde's stern and unfazed declaration. The scarred man quickly hid his surprise and opened his mouth to answer.

"Ah. I don't think I have the authority to tell you about your friend's condition." The man taunted the blonde. "It all depends on the boss. But a runt like you doesn't deserve to see him. What makes you think we will even let you meet him?"

The two other Mafiosi suddenly approached Kida and tried to grab his arms, but a hand firmly gripped their wrists. Their eyes widened when they saw a pair of sunset eyes staring coldly at them. Unable to escape Tsuna's grip, the two looked to their leader in a silent call for help. A moment later, the grip loosened and they quickly retreated to their positions beside the scarred man.

The Pedine Boss's right-hand man stood there stunned. He blinked twice to confirm what he was actually seeing. The gravity-defying brown hair, the sunset-colored eyes, they were the same as the ones he had seen at the Cavallone's party. Right in front of him was the next heir to the most prestigious and influential mafia family. The Vongola Famiglia.

_How did the Vongola Decimo know about the Pedine Famiglia's base in Ikebukuro? _He thought nervously.

Seeing the expression the group's leader, Tsuna could tell the man had recognized him. Before the man could say another word, he stepped closer and spoke. "I really hope that you will tell your boss we were looking for him. I'm sure he would love to speak to us."

The sarcastic tone in Tsuna's voice was obvious to the people around him. Kida could not fathom how Tsuna could say such things to these scary people during such a critical time. The two Mafiosi beside the scarred man were unhappy but stayed silent and stared wary at Tsuna. The scarred man looked thoughtful staring at the boy.

"Very well. Follow me." He finally said.

The scarred man turned around leaving his companions in shock by his decision. Even Kida was totally at a loss on the sudden change of attitude. Kida stared at the back of the Tsuna, what was he? He was sure the reason was Tsuna. But why Tsuna?

Kida silenced his thoughts; he would never be able to answer all his questions anyway. Right now, his priority was to rescue his best friend. He would ask Tsuna later.

The group filed out of the lift when they had reached the tenth floor. The scarred man quietly led them while his companions walked slower, watching the brunet and the blonde from behind. Kida kept glancing on Tsuna's whose face had become even more serious. He still couldn't believe that person was the same gentle Tsuna he knew.

The scarred man stopped before the mahogany door. He opened it to a spacious conference room. There was a large wooden table in the middle with comfortable leather chairs surrounding it. Expensive-looking portraits and paintings hung on the walls.

"If you would wait here, I will inform the boss that you are here. I'm sure he will be delighted to meet you." He said quickly and bowed at Tsuna.

Tsuna answered the man calmly but coldly. "I have not come for business. Rather, I am here to discuss things concerning your abduction of the DOLLARS' leader, my _friend_."

The scarred man raised his eyebrows at Tsuna's retort. He had been surprised that the former Yellow Scarves' shogun knew Tsuna, but was even more surprised that the DOLLARS' leader was friends with Tsuna. He had to inform his boss.

"I see…I will go notify my boss, he's actually in the middle of some business right now so it'll be a while. For the moment, please help yourselves with some of the refreshments." He voice was smooth and he carefully hid his turmoil. After, he directed a maid to place plates of food on the table. "Don't worry, these are not poisoned."

Kida's eyes widened at the statement but Tsuna just shrugged. The two teens watched the scarred man, the two other men, and the maid leave the room. They were alone in the room.

"I can't believe we got in so easy. Tsuna, just what did you do?" Kida played with the food in front of him. He didn't feel particularly hungry.

"It's going smoothly as planned, but we shouldn't relax yet." Tsuna stared at the plates in thought.

Kida could sense a tinge of the worry Tsuna felt but kept silent about it. Not wanting to watch Tsuna's solemn expression, Kida averted his attention to the furniture around the room while keeping an ear out for possible footsteps.

Tsuna felt the sudden flare of his hyper intuition. He knew something was coming but didn't know what; so far they hadn't encountered any problems.

He internally worried about how the Pedine boss would react. He had never really talked him personally but was aware of the man's deviousness from the Ninth.

However, this time he was alone; the Ninth and Reborn were not there to support him.

The Vongola Decimo calmed himself and waited patiently for the Pedine Boss.

* * *

><p>The scarred man briskly walked towards the room where his Boss was interrogating the DOLLARS' leader. His boss was probably pulling all his cards to convince, manipulate was the proper word, the raven-haired teen to agree to their plan.<p>

If that pathetic-looking teen was really DOLLARS' boss, then his skills and his group's growing influence will definitely be of use for the Pedine's future plans.

He frowned when he remembered the Vongola Decimo. He was uneasy at the Vongola's connection with the DOLLARS' leader.

He sighed and tried to calm these thoughts. Right now, his task was to notify his boss about the possible threat and to act accordingly from now on.

The scarred man stopped and faced the door of the Pedine's head office. He knocked twice to signal his presence and was answered by a mild _'Enter'_. Walking in, he saw his boss smiling pleased at the raven haired teen. The boy was staring at the older man as if he was in a trance; his eyes showed his confusion and uncertainty.

"Boss," started the scarred man. "Someone has come for you."

Mikado turned to look to the scarred man in disbelief while the Pedine boss just beamed ecstatically.

"Oh? You mean he's already here. Hmmm...He's a bit late. I've been waiting for him to come for a while now." The Pedine boss looked him and showed a knowing smile.

The scarred man was shocked at the man's lack of surprise. His boss had planned this.

The Pedine boss stood up from his seat and gave his attention to the raven-haired teen. Mikado kept his silence while looking back at the person uncertainly

"Think about what I have told you Ryugamine-kun. I presume you already know what's going to happen next." The Pedine boss turned his back to the boy and exited the room. He was followed closely by his right hand man.

Mikado stared dumbfounded at their backs.

* * *

><p>"Boss," started the scarred man while they walked. "You knew about the Vongola Decimo coming here?"<p>

The Pedine Boss just smirked and replied in a nonchalant tone. "I have my sources. The truth is, at first I didn't want to believe it, but since it was from _that man_, I trusted the fact that he would come."

"But, how could the Vongola Decimo know about the DOLLARS' boss?"

"I'd like to find that out as well. I can't wait to talk to him. In the mean time– " The Pedine boss halted and faced his right hand man. He nodded for him to come closer and when he did he whispered into the man's ear. "I need you to do something…"

The scarred man's eyes lit up as he listened to the request. A minute passed, and he bowed before walking off in a different direction. He soon came back, two subordinates in tow. They all followed their boss as he proceeded down the hall.

The Pedine Boss finally stopped in front of the door that led to his visitors and waited as his subordinate opened the door for him. As the door creaked open, his smile widened as he saw the former Yellow-Scarves shogun and the Vongola Decimo.

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><p>The door of the conference room opened, revealing a black-haired man in plain white T-shirt and pair of denim pants. An elegant badge with a pawn décor adorned his plain shirt. Despite the man's simple attire, it was obvious to Tsuna and Kida that he was the boss of the Mafiosi surrounding him.<p>

The man did not hesitate when he saw the Vongola Decimo and walked towards him. He stopped a meter away from Tsuna then offered his hand while saying his greetings.

"The Pedine Famiglia welcomes you Vongola Decimo. I am Vincenzo Pedine."

Tsuna stared at the man's face with a mask of indifference and took the offered hand. Kida was too shocked that the Pedine boss had casually went to Tsuna to greet him as if nothing was amidst. Instead of feeling irritated, the blonde watched the exchange closely.

"I believe you've been informed of my purpose for coming here?" Tsuna didn't return the greeting, stating his business.

The Pedine Boss ignored the cold reception and replied of what he knew; not from his subordinate who had said nothing, but from another source. "Ah yes. I'm afraid there had been a misunderstanding. We actually have no intention of hurting the DOLLARS' boss. We merely wanted to talk to him." He stated innocently.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed slightly, he knew that somehow the boss was not lying but he also knew there was an underlying motive in his action.

"The hell with you wanted to meet him! You took Mikado away against his will." Kida yelled indignantly, rejecting the man's reason.

Vincenzo looked straight at the blonde's direction and spoke to the blonde sarcastically. "Ah…I apologize. My men were under strict orders to get me the information. I did not foresee that you would be hurt. For that, I apologize."

Kida couldn't believe how much of a manipulative bastard the Pedine Boss was. He looked at Tsuna who seemed unfazed by the man's speech. He's mind reeled, _why wasn't Tsuna doing anything?_ Tsuna seemed to read his mind as he spoke soon afterwards.

"Your intentions may not have been malicious, but your actions towards Kida Masaomi and Ryuugamine Mikado were not justified. May I remind you of the policies concerning civilians, Vincenzo-san."

The authoritativeness of Tsuna's voice was making the others, even the Pedine Boss, uncomfortable. Kida couldn't help but shudder as Tsuna stepped closer to Vincenzo.

Then, Vincenzo's demeanor also shifted; he had become serious.

"I assure you that we will not forget about it in the future, Vongola Decimo." There was a slight edge in Vincenzo's tone.

Tsuna ignored the change. "Then, shall I proceed to the business? As you may know, the code forbids any mafia family from involving civilians in businesses without justification. Seeing DOLLARS' leader is not a member of the family, you have no right for confining him here against his will." He stared straight into the man's eyes. "Even if you want to invite him to the family, there are other ways."

Kida froze at what Tsuna's last sentence. _The Pedine wanted Mikado to be part of them?_ The blonde stood there unmoving, waiting for Pedine's boss to speak.

"Ah... We cannot hide any detail from you, Vongola Decimo. Just splendid. Yes, we have offered him to work for us, but unfortunately Mikado-kun refused. It's a shame really. With his skills, our future would have been undoubtedly successful."

Tsuna's hyper intuition flared with the boss' speech. "Then you have no right to continue to keep him here." He said coldly.

The Pedine boss smiled tauntingly. "And what will happen if we do?"

"The Alliance will be forced to act accordingly to your actions. You have more than a few of the agreed policies. I will act accordingly." Tsuna said grimly. He wasn't happy at the turn of events but did not back down.

"So, the Vongola will use its power huh?" Vincenzo paused, thinking thoughtfully. After a minute, he decided to comply. "Very well. If we leave Ryuugamine-kun alone, you will cease your threats?"

"These will apply to future actions. You will not involve any DOLLARS, Masaomi Kida, or Ryuugamine in the Pedine's business." Tsuna warned. "I will let this go this time."

"Then, I'll accept your conditions." Vincenzo nodded to the Vongola Decimo and turned to face his subordinates. The men who had remained silent the whole time stood a small distance around them with expressionless faces. The Pedine boss spoke softly to his right-hand man who nodded obediently. He then returned his attention to the Vongola Decimo.

"My men will escort you to the special lift. When you're there, go to the ground floor and you will be able to meet Mikado-kun there." Vincenzo turned to face the brunet. "Again, it had been a pleasure to meet you Vongola Decimo. I just wished our meeting was timelier."

"Thank you for your cooperation. I hope the relationship between our families will become better after this."

A wary smile spread on Vincenzo's face. "Ah yes, about that. This doesn't mean the Pedine has changed its stand."

Tsuna caught a glimpse of malice in the Pedine boss' eyes but it disappeared almost immediately. "I see. I'll keep it in mind." He replied coldly.

Tsuna and Kida followed the Pedine men outside the room. But before Tsuna exited the room, Vincenzo grabbed his shoulder.

"Just a final question Vongola Decimo. Where do you come into all of this?"

Tsuna paused and thought about the question. He gave the best answer that he could think of. " I protect my friends. That is all."

Vincenzo nodded. When Tsuna finally left, he smirked. _I've found your weakness Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo._

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><p>As the lift descended peacefully, Tsuna couldn't believe that the negotiation was over. Nothing peculiar had happened and the Pedine Boss, cunning as he may be, hadn't put up a fight. It all had worked too smoothly. However he smiled as he remembered that was his goal.<p>

He sighed and just hoped that everything would return to normal. He glanced at Kida who looked restless at the sliding doors in anticipation. _He was that worried about Mikado-san, huh? _Tsuna mused.

The lift reached the ground floor and opened to a room next to the game center. Kida and Tsuna was surprised to see Mikado already standing there waiting for them.

Kida hastily ran out of the lift and hugged his best friend.

Mikado, shocked that his best friend was actually there, awkwardly returned the hug. "Masaomi – How, why are you here? You can't possibly be – "

Mikado's question was cut off by the blonde's ramblings. "Did they hurt you? Or threaten you? I'm so glad you're safe! I'm so glad you didn't agree to work with them!"

"Well – of course, I wouldn't – work for them. But, how do you know about that? Didn't the Pedine boss just have a talk with the Vongola boss?"

"The Vongola boss? Who told you that?"

"I heard them talk about it before they left me. The Vongola they are – "

"But Mikado, the one who came with me here to negotiate was Tsuna. When I woke up after being unconscious when you were taken away, he was with everyone in DOLLARS. When we were thinking who took you, it was him who figured out. And – "

Kida suddenly recalled the conversation between Tsuna and the Pedine Boss. "The Pedine's boss had called him…Vongola Decimo."

"It means 'tenth'."

The two Ikebukuroans turned to the source of the voice. Tsuna had been standing silently near them. "'Decimo' is Italian for Tenth while 'Vongola' is the name of my famiglia. It's true that the boss of the Vongola went to talk to the Pedine."

They stared at him blankly.

"Sorry for not telling you earlier Mikado-san, Masaomi-san. I never thought that it would come to this." Tsuna sighed and introduced himself again to the two friends.

"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. The tenth generation Boss of the Vongola Famiglia."

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><p>Author's Rants:<p>

Yay! Updated faster than usual. Well, that's because of reasons definitely deserving of celebration!

First and foremost, for having a beta for Appointments. **TotallySweetFantasy** took an interest and will be working hard in editing this story. If some of you noticed, chaps1 to 3 were already edited. She has been very kind in giving me pointers to improve. So yeah, please thank her as well.

Secondly, for reaching this point of the fic many had been anticipating. I've already finalized the climax and had put little hints here and there for the future chapters. I hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story.

And finally, this extra-long chapter is a gift from me to you readers who spared precious time for reading this fic. It's a special day for me, another year another life. =D And I'm starting it by giving my thanks to all the alerters, favers, silent-lurkers and especially the reviewers.

_Walang humpay na pasasalamat mula sa kaibuturan ng aking puso._

(you can use google translate to know what I said) ^_^v


	17. Ch16: Seeds of Doubt

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei.

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><p><strong>0205/2012: **this chapter is a collaboration with **TotallySweetFantasy.**

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><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER**** 15: **Seeds of Doubt

"Boss. The preparations are complete."

"Thank you Geomar. I'm glad to have such a competent right-hand man."

Instead of delighting in his boss's praise, Geomar glanced reluctantly at his Boss.

Noticing Geomar's intense gaze, Vincenzo spoke to the scarred man. "You can ask me whatever that's bothering you Geomar."

Geomar nodded and spoke. "Boss, was it really necessary to release them? We could have captured that boy. No matter how strong the rumors say Vongola Decimo is, there is no way he could have defeated us all alone. We would have outnumbered him."

The scarred man shrunk back when he saw the Pedine Famiglia Boss, Vincenzo Pedine, look him with a disarming smile. He knew that look; it was the look Vincenzo always had when he was calculating something devious.

"Patience Geomar. Patience. You of all people should know that I never do anything with no reason." Vincenzo gracefully leaned back in his chair. "I agree that attacking the little Vongola Decimo while he was playing negotiator might have been successful. However, our casualties would have been far too great." He chuckled at the unbelieving face of his subordinate.

Still smiling, he continued. "I might have told you a while ago, but, the Vongola Famiglia is probably the oldest family in existence. What's more, Vongola's influence has not diminished and it has become the most powerful and influential family around the world. Aside from its political dominance, its members are highly trained and efficient combatants. To them, we are just pesky little insects so insignificant that we could be flicked aside by one finger." Geomar listened attentively to his boss' explanation, his face turning slightly paler as he finally understood the totality of what the Vongola was. Vincenzo picked up a glass of wine from the tray his attendant had presented him and continued his speech.

"Vongola's main family is comprised of the boss and his so-called guardians. Each is known to have a special ability to conjure up dying will flames." Vincenzo noted Geomar's puzzlement and went to explain further. "Amongst high ranking Mafioso, displaying the ability to summon this flame is rare. Dying will flames are categorized to six different elements: Sun, Lightning, Mist, Storm, Rain, Cloud, and finally Sky. The latter being the rarest and is often considered to be the strongest. History has had recorded that only leaders of the Vongola and a handful of others has ever displayed the ability to use a Sky flame. Are you still with me? Capturing the Vongola Decimo would cause the Pedine unspeakable damage."

The scarred man nodded absently. He could never have guessed that the small, scrawny, pathetic looking kid of a boss would be so powerful.

"But Boss, even if we suffered such damage, capturing the Vongola Decimo…merely capturing the Vongola Decimo would have a big blow on the Vongola."

Vincenzo nodded to his subordinate for his quick mind and chuckled lightly. "Ah yes. I still haven't told you yet have I? Apparently the Vongola's guardians are also here in Ikebukuro. It seemed that the Vongola Decimo is still unaware of this though. My source says that the guardians already know that the Vongola Decimo's is coming here. If we had captured him, we would have definitely encountered their wrath.

Geomar gulped hoping to erase what he had imagined would have happened to the Pedine in that scenario. For his boss to actually consider all of these things, when he was usually beyond confident, meant that the Vincenzo really saw Vongola as a threat.

Vincenzo smiled in satisfaction as he read this most trusted subordinate's face. It was the undeniable stoned face of realization.

"What do we do now Boss?" Geomar murmured.

Vincenzo's expression became serious. "We wait patiently. When the right signal comes, in the middle of confusion, we strike with full force. With the right timing, we will be crowned the victors without those children even getting the opportunity to use their precious flames.

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><p>Mikado thought back to when he had first woken up and found himself captured by the Pedine Famiglia. It was one of the few times he truly felt afraid. Never in his life had he thought about having anything to do with the mafia.<p>

When the Pedine boss had offered him to work for them, he was incredulous. Why would he work for these kind of people? They had tried to harm his best friend! So of course he had stubbornly refused. He had been afraid he would be harmed for saying no. To his surprise, the boss had laughed casually to his rejection. Instead, he had asked if he knew anything about the Vongola. Of course he had been clueless.

That was then when he had a glimpse into the dark and cruel world of the mafia.

When he had learned that the Vongola Boss had come to talk to Pedine because of him, he didn't know what to think. He recalled the Pedine boss laughing at his utterly confused expression.

He was even more surprised when the frightening right-hand man had entered his 'interrogation room' to announce that the Vongola boss had come to bargain for him. The older Pedine boss had predicted it all beforehand.

He hadn't wanted to believe it. But now he couldn't deny it.

When he had been escorted down, he was surprised to find his best friend rushing towards him from the lift that his supposed 'savior' was suppose to come from. He had felt confusion and hurt, wondering violently why his best friend was there. He had thought Masaomi had been tricked by the Pedine.

What had stunned him to silence was when he finally learned the identity of his 'savior'. He now silently stood, frozen by the teenager in front of him.

Tsuna stood straight backed in front of him. His eyes were like a mellow sunset and his expression totally different from the time he had first meet him. Mikado felt wariness flow through him. He knew that he would never be able to look at this person called Sawada Tsunayoshi in the same way ever again.

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><p>"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, tenth generation Boss of the Vongola Famiglia."<p>

_No__. __This __isn__'__t __happening__. __Why__ him__? _Mikado thought as he looked warily at the brunet.

The DOLLARS boss and the former Yellow-Scarves shogun gaped at the brunet before them. What he had said seemed totally implausible but somehow seemed too real. Tsuna was standing there regally, his posture perfect and his expression serious; this was certainly different from when he was only 'Tsuna'. This was the Vongola Decimo. This was a real mafia boss.

If Kida was as if he was surprised when he learned that Tsuna was a mafioso, probably would have nodded. If he was told to describe how he felt, there were more befitting words. Would he say he was puzzled? Shocked? Disturbed? Or even– _Frightened_? The last was hard to accept. No, he shouldn't be frightened. Why would he be frightened? Tsuna was still Tsuna. _Even__ if __he__'__s __Vongola__ Decimo__?_ He asked himself. He swallowed, unconvinced. There was more to it like how should he act towards him now? Towards a mafia boss.

Kida recalled how smoothly Tsuna had handled the negotiation. He remembered how the three mafiosi who had taken Mikado hostage seemed to act differently towards the brunet. He recollected how that scary scarred man who had threatened to to kill him without a blink seemed to have accepted Tsuna's request without question. There was more. Like how Tsuna got through security and was able to meet the Pedine Boss with just a few words. And how Tsuna easy demanded for Mikado's release and made the Pedine's boss promise to not involve DOLLARS in their affairs again. It was all done so easily. Mikado had previously wondered who Tsuna really was several times. And now, he finally got an answer.

In his confusion, Kida chuckled softly. Unable to put his thoughts together for a coherent question, he just stated the obvious. "So, Tsuna. You are a mafia boss, the tenth generation, huh? Your family must be extremely old."

Tsuna nodded. When all had been said and done, he couldn't revert back to being Tsuna yet. His identity was a matter of omerta and he was supposed to clarify his position to the two first. "Technically, I'm still in-training. I'm still under orders of the Ninth. But my status as heir for Vongola is pretty much decided and well known. As the heir I have some responsibilities in the family."

"Like negotiating?", Kida suggested recalling what Tsuna had told him earlier.

"Family treaties, paperwork, alliance policies, plus others. It's just to prepare me when the time comes and I take over." Tsuna, of course, didn't mention the fights he had been through with his guardians.

A short silence filled the room. Tsuna stood there watching the thoughtful faces of his friends. He knew that what he admitted to them had shaken them quite a bit. It was expected. But he was also willing to wait for the two to act normal again. If fate was kind and he had his way.

"So, what is your family like Tsuna-san?" Mikado finally broken his stupor and asked the brunet. Kida and Tsuna turned to look at the raven-haired teen. Unlike the blond who was obviously perplexed, he looked like he had taken the surprise a little to casually. But even if he didn't show it, Tsuna could feel anxiety from the DOLLARS boss. However, Tsuna would not identify what caused the anxiety. He didn't have a clue what was bothering Mikado.

"If you remembered when I told you about my friends...they are part of my family. They were with me when I first learned that I was going to be a mafia boss. At first they thought it was a game, but soon they decided to join." Tsuna answered and smiled sadly. There were times when he still blame himself for involving his friends in his world. However, he was also glad that they wanted to stay by his side and support him when he had finally accepted the burden of his fate.

"No, I mean. The Vongola. What is it like?" The question startled both Kida and Tsuna. Kida was starting to worry about his best friend. Mikado expression was strange and well, his attitude was a bit-off from normal.

Tsuna, on the other hand, was less concerned about Mikado's expression, and was more wary of the question. What should he say? It was a difficult question. If he answered recklessly, he might give too much information that would inevitably drag his new friends into trouble. He didn't want that. If Mikado and Kida got too involved, they may not be able to return to their normal lives anymore. It would be just like what had happened to him and his family.

"I don't think you should know any more." He answered coldly. "Vongola isn't a concern to either of you. It would be better if you don't know anything about it."

_Because __it __would __change __how__ we __see__ the__ world __once __we __find __out__._ Mikado thought bitterly.

Kida could feel the growing tension from the Vongola Decimo and the awkward quietness of his best friend. He shuffled uncomfortably when Tsuna spoke again.

Tsuna sighed and looked sincerely at the two boys. "I also need to warn you, Mikado-san, Masaomi-san. My identity must remain a secret. You cannot tell anyone about me or the Vongola. It's actually best if you forget all of this."

After saying what he needed to say, Tsuna closed his eyes and when he opened them they had returned to warm brown. He was Tsuna again.

"Mikado-san, Masaomi-san. Please remember what I told you. This is to keep you safe."

* * *

><p>The three teens stepped out of the Pedine building into the cool night air and headed in the direction of the open field where Celty was waiting. As they walked, no one talked as each seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.<p>

Kida sneaked a worried glance at Mikado. He knew something was bothering his best friend but when he had tried to ask, he was shrugged off. He couldn't believe this. Mikado was too quiet; he had not said anything since their reunion. Kida wanted to know what had gone on when Mikado was held captive, but he withheld his curiosity and didn't ask for the details. He didn't want to force Mikado when he wasn't ready.

He noticed Mikado glance at Tsuna who was trailing behind them. He stared at his best friend wondering if Tsuna's earlier confession had gotten to Mikado as it did to him. Even though Kida had known Tsuna was a mafioso, he was still very shocked when he learned that Tsuna wasn't just any mafioso. He was the leader of the Mafia. He sympathized for Mikado who had just been presented with all of it at once. He sighed and stepped closer to Mikado to speak to him.

"You should just go and talk to him." He murmured.

Mikado whipped his head to look at his best friend, reluctance shadowing his eyes. He knew Kida was shocked after what just had happened. But shocked probably would describe how he felt at this time. He gripped his hand into a fist as his internal turmoil blazed inside of him. It was not just because Mikado was the last to know about Tsuna, but also because he was conflicted by the knowledge he had obtained while captive. A knowledge that made him worried.

"Well, you _should_ talk to Tsuna. I know, I'm your best friend." Kida emphasized.

Mikado thought about his best friend's advice. _Masaomi __is __right__. __I __should__ ask __Tsuna__. __But__, __I__...__I __don__'__t __know__ what __to__ think __anymore__._

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Mikado nodded to his best friend. At this, Kida waved. "I'm a little excited so I'm going on ahead." He called as he walked a little faster to leave Mikado and Tsuna alone in their talk.

Mikado smiled warily as he nodded in appreciation. He paused in his step and waited for Tsuna to catch up.

Tsuna didn't object Kida's sudden departure but glanced cautiously at Mikado. He had purposefully kept his distance to give the two some privacy. He knew that after what he had just revealed, Kida and Mikado needed time to accept it. He wouldn't even be surprised if things permanently changed. It was inevitable. Kida and Mikado would probably treat him differently now. They might even be too scared of him to even talk to him anymore.

Tsuna quietly walked up to Mikado's side and waited for the raven to speak first.

Mikado closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. When he opened them, they were still not free of the fear that clouded his mind. "Thank you Tsuna." Mikado said softly.

Tsuna sensed that there was more and trailed Mikado's face with concerned eyes; however, he soon gathered himself to smile. "Don't worry about it."

There was a brief silence between the two before they resumed walking in a snail's pace.

A minute passed before Mikado broke the dead air. "Why did you help me?" He hesitantly acquired.

Tsuna smiled as he sensed uneasiness from Mikado. He looked back to when he first met Mikado and Kida as well as first learned about the DOLLARS. He recalled the DOLLAR members' worry when Mikado had been kidnapped. Finally, he remembered how he discovered that Mikado was the boss of the DOLLARS. At that time he had felt respect and reverence for Mikado for leading DOLLARS to become an accomplished color group.

Now things were a little bit differently, Mikado probably didn't feel this way towards Tsuna. His secret was of a larger scale. Tsuna sighed inwardly but smiled warmly at Mikado. "Everyone was worried about you Mikado-san. I was also worried. A group without its leader would crumble."

Mikado stopped dead in his tracks. His mind seemed to repeat the word '...would crumble' an infinitesimal amount of times. His hand wrapped up into a fist as he stared unseeingly forward.

Shocked by Mikado's sudden stop, Tsuna paused and looked back to Mikado uneasily."Uhm... Is there something wrong, Mikado-san?"

The DOLLARS boss soothed his face and dropped his hand. He shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong."

Tsuna nodded slowly as he continued to stare at Mikado.

Mikado left his face blank but he could hear the snarly voice of that Pedine leader run through his head. 'Lies. Deceit. Betrayals. Ryuugamine-kun, this is the mafia world.' His jaw tightened as he looked at Tsuna. _Lies__. __Deceit__. __Betrayals__._ He repeated.

* * *

><p>When Tsuna had left for Ikebukuro by himself, Gokudera and Yamamoto had been unable to control their worry for their Boss. Perhaps it was just paranoia or their over-protectiveness of their friend that had pushed them to ignore Reborn's order and follow Tsuna. The two knew that they were risking punishment when they returned but they were unwilling to ignore their conscience. Namimori was just not the same without Tsuna.<p>

At first it was just the two of them, however, when Lambo overheard their planning, he had started to whine that he wanted to see Dame-Tsuna. Unable to deny the tiny child without causing hysterics, they had no choice but to bring the cow-kid. Lambo had threatened to destroy the area near him with grenades if they said no. Ryohei had also appeared and said he wanted to invite Tsuna to train for the day. He had insisted to the extreme on coming when he learned where Tsuna had gone. Finally, to their surprise, when they had arrived at the train station, Chrome had been waiting for them. She had said Mukuro had advised her join their 'little stalking game'. Amazingly, Gokudera didn't object.

When they had arrived at Ikebukuro, many things happened. They learned that Tsuna was helping a group called DOLLARS to rescue its boss.

When they had learned of this, they had wanted to follow Tsuna immediately but not because they belittled Tsuna's abilities. Rather, it was just their insatiable desire to be by Tsuna's side. However, their casual interest turned into hysterical concern when they learned that the enemy was the Pedine Famiglia which was known to be a rival of the Vongola. What struck them was the same blood freezing fear that had plagued them when they were told Tsuna's future self was killed by the Millefiore.

They now sat in deathly silence as they gripped the warm seats of the the van. They prayed in their minds that they would make it in time.

When the van jolted to a halt, the Vongola guardians prepared themselves for the worst. One by one, the passengers of the van got off. When they stepped off, the guardians found themselves in a vacant field a block away from the high building.

"What are we doing here? The building is over there!" Gokudera shot a angry glare at Kadota and pointed to the building. "Why did you take us here! We need to go and help Jyuudaime! Damn it you lying bastard!"

Kadota looked calmly at the raging teen. "I told you in the van." Kadota reminded Gokudera. "Shinra told us to wait here for Tsuna and Kida. Didn't you pay attention to anything I said?"

Gokudera grudgingly closed his mouth at Kadota's answer. The other guardians also grew quiet, guilty that their own worry had caused them to ignore Kadota.

The shadow-banchou sighed. He had somehow expected this to happen. Ever since Shinra's call, the guardians had been acting reserved and they had not spoken a word on the van.

"Where did that earlier confidence go? I thought you were so tied that your boss would never fail." Kadota reminded them.

The Vongola guardians blinked at the man's words. He was right, more right then they were feeling right now. They should have absolute trust that Tsuna would succeed. He was their Boss.

"But still, Tsuna-nii is with the Pedine right? What if they hurt him?" Lambo inquired softly. The DOLLARS were surprised by his worry but didn't say anything. The cow-kid actually had a point. The teens knew more about the Pedine than the DOLLARS did. They knew the Pedine was a dangerous group.

"Ah Celcchi!" Erika suddenly gasped as a slim woman with a mask approached them. Everyone's attention turned to the Black Rider. The guardians tensed when they assessed the woman, especially eying the black biker suit and a yellow cat-eared helmet.

Sensing their wariness, Kadota quickly introduced her. "Don't worry, she's with us." He said quickly. "This is Celty. She is also known as the Black Rider here. She was with Tsuna and Kida when they went to Pedine's headquarters."

Celty nodded and walked to stand in front of the guardians. She tilted her helmet to the side to them as a greeting and started to type in her PDA. She showed everyone the message:

[I've been waiting here for the past hour. I haven't sensed any disturbances from the building. If I did I would have gone in myself.]

The Vongola and the DOLLARS relaxed at this news. Celty nodded and withdrew her PDA to type again. After a few moments, she showed the message to the teens.

[Hello. You must be Tsuna-san's friends. Shinra told me about your circumstances. I really am glad that you're here. I'm sure Tsuna will be surprised when he comes.]

Celty stared from inside her helmet at the young teenagers in front of her. The previous wariness she had felt when she learned the truth about Tsuna had faded. Now that she finally met the so called guardians, she couldn't bring herself to see them as anything more than innocent children. Whatever prestigious Mafia family they were part of didn't matter. She trusted Tsuna, and she knew she could trust his guardians.

The Vongola guardians stared at the woman. Gokudera's eyes narrowed. This woman was strange. No matter what Kadota had said, he wouldn't just trust her like that. She hadn't taken her helmet off and what's more she couldn't even talk to them. "What's with your helmet?" Gokudera snarled.

Celty fidgeted but couldn't reply. What should she tell them? The truth?

Shizuo straightened his shoulders as he defended Celty. "Oi, she has her reasons kid. Don't talk to her like that."

Celty patted Shizuo's shoulder in appreciation. As her long time friend, Shizuo understood the woman's gestures immediately.

Celty faced the Vongola guardians. She knew they suspected her and she needed to clear things up. Typing furiously in her PDA, she hoped that this would somehow ease the guardians' minds.

[I'm very sorry, but I can't remove my helmet. However, I promise you that I'm on Tsuna-san's side.]

The guardians glared at her. She wilted back from their intense frowns. Her only hope was that they could trust her enough. There were more important things at hand.

She was surprised when a tall, wiry, black haired boy stepped up. Out of his friends, he was the only one that seemed to be undisturbed by her. He had a large smile on his face. He touched Gokudera's shoulder. "Celty-san doesn't seem like a bad person." He said happily.

Gokudera turned to furiously glare at the raven. "What the hell are you talking about Yakyuu-baka! What do you know?"

The raven looked down at him, his smile still on his face. "Maa, maa, Gokudera, I think it's fine."

"Of course _you__'__d_ think it's fine." Gokudera threw at him.

Yamamoto smiled at the insult. "I'm sure Celty-san is on our side. What's more important is that she knows Tsuna. All we've got to do is trust Tsuna's intuition." He smiled lightly at Celty. "Right?"

Celty was slightly taken aback by Yamamoto's trust but quickly nodded and typed in her PDA. [You're right, I've never thought of harming Tsuna-san.] She quickly showed the screen to the guardians.

"See?" Yamamoto laughed bringing his hands over the back of his head. "No worries!"

Gokudera shot a nasty look at the rain guardian. Yamamoto was always too lenient. However, he soon sighed. This was not the time to think of such petty things. "Fine." He grumbled. He shot a look at Celty. "I still don't trust you got it?" He snarled. "If you ever betray us, I definitely won't let you off." He threatened.

Celty nodded. His caution was reasonable.

"Uhmm.. Celty-san, you were with Boss right? How was he?" Chrome timidly questioned the dullahan.

[When I was taking him to the Pedine headquarters, he seemed calm.] There was a slight pause before Celty withdrew the PDA and quickly typed another short sentence. [I believe in Tsuna-san; he will definitely succeed.]

The dullahan's assurance soothed the teens' minds. Meanwhile, the DOLLARS members silently watched the exchange. They were just as anxious to know what will happen. Would Tsuna really pull through? Their bodies were frozen in anticipation.

A few minutes passed as guardians and DOLLARS alike became more and more anxious as they waited. All heads shot up as a cheerful voice broke the thin silence.

"Everyone! We're back! We got Mikado back without any problems!" All heads turned to the source of the voice. It was Kida.

Kida grinned widely as he dragged Mikado towards the small group. The DOLLARS members' broke into wide smiles while they exchanged relieved smiles and nods.

"Mikapon! I missed you! I'm so glad you're safe!" Erika hurled towards them with the biggest smile and hugged the still shocked raven. Yumasaki was not far behind the otaku girl as he also approached them in relief. Mikado smiled warily as he accepted the enthusiastic 'welcome back's.

He swerved past Yumasaki's shoulder and was surprised to see Kadota, Togusa, Shizuo and Celty standing in the field.

Mikado never expected to see his friends here. But their presence would not waver him in his decision. Rather, he was more convinced than ever that this was the right thing to do. He slowly slid hand into his pocket and his fingers wrapped around a small device he had hidden.

Mikado diverted his attention from the DOLLARS to a group of unfamiliar teens. As his stared at the odd combination of teenager, the DOLLARS group were intrigued by the brunet.

"Everyone? Why are you here?" Tsuna stammered in disbelief. Five hundred different questions ran through his head, most of them revolved around the fact that his friends were standing next the same group whose leader he'd just rescued. He staggered backward as their eyes brightened and they rushed to his side, bombarding him with simultaneous questions and comments.

"Jyuudaime! Are you alright?"

"Tsuna! I was so worried!"

"Baka-Tsuna, you owe me a lot of grape candies!"

"Sawada! You did extremely well."

"Boss, I'm glad you're safe."

"Eh? Wha-" Tsuna's question was cut off by a sudden flare of his intuition. It was of the same vibe as what he had felt at the Pedine headquarters. Then it had been a buzzing warning, but this time it was screaming 'DANGER'.

The guardians felt the sudden shift in their Boss's demeanor and froze as they slowly turned to screen the nearby area.

"Everyone, _accingersi_." Get ready. Tsuna hissed through his teeth.

The Vongola guardians slowly formed a circle around Tsuna. The DOLLARS felt the sudden shift in mood as the teenagers donned serious masks. They shifted uncomfortably, unable to detect the reason behind the sudden change. What shocked them more was the raging expression that was on Tsuna's face.

It was not just that it was a radical 180 from before, but more because of the cold fury that seemed to radiate heat from the brunet.

Kida was the only one who had the courage to voice his mind. "Tsuna..."

Tsuna turned his stone face at him. He answered curtly, his voice was ice splinters. "The contract has been broken. The Pedine had no intention of relenting. They lied."

He ended abruptly as his gaze shifted to the shadows. Out of nowhere, a rush of suited men surrounded the small party. Tsuna's eyes narrowed.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

I – don't know what to say? Just that this chapter really gave me a headache. Once again, I thank you **TotallySweetFantasy** for bearing with me. |||OTL

If you have any questions, suggestions, VIOLENT REACTIONS, just tell me okay? This chapter might be confusing but I swear it will clear up soon. Hahaha.. =D


	18. Ch17: Greater Good, Lesser Evil

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei.

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><p><strong>0205/2012: **collaborated with the awesome **TotallySweetFantasy.**

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><p><strong>APPOINTMENTS<strong>

**CHAPTER**** 16: **Greater Good, Lesser Evil

Tsuna surveyed the troop of Pedine mafiosi surrounding their group. The men were moving quickly, yet cautiously; their every step seemed calculated. These men were not your normal mafiosi; they were professional Pedine hitmen.

Usually when facing an ambush, the Vongola expected to immediately engage in battle. However, instead of attacking, the Pedine men were frozen in their positions as if they were waiting for something. The Vongola still stood their ground defensively, anticipating the start of the battle.

A chuckle ran though the tense air and Tsuna recognized it quickly. It was the reason the men were still motionlessly. They had been waiting for their boss: Vincenzo Pedine.

"We meet again, Vongola Decimo."

All heads whipped towards the source of the greeting. Tsuna narrowed his eyes as he looked at the the man casually standing before them. He looked every bit of a mafia boss; the casual attire he wore just a hour ago was replaced with a gaudy black suit that was embroidered with an elegant insignia of a golden pawn. Beside him stood his trusty right-hand man who was also looking intensely at the tight knit group.

Tsuna gritted his teeth. He now realized what had sparked his hyper intuition. During the negotiation he had felt a faint buzz, now he understood why. His hyper intuition had detected Pedine's hidden plans from the start. "Vincenzo-san, we both know the implications of what you are doing right now. Why did you break the deal?"

Vincenzo smiled darkly at Vongola Decimo, confidence emanated from the man. "We just had a major change in plans, Vongola Decimo. Plans that would surely benefit our family more than if we comply to our 'unofficial' deal."

"And just what the fuck is this goddamn plan you're talking about?" Gokudera eyed the Pedine Boss angrily.

The Pedine Boss ignored Gokudera, and he scanned the Vongola's expression closely before he smirked. "I believe you already know what we want from you."

The atmosphere tensed as the Pedine men readied themselves and waited for their boss's signal. The guardians similarly moved closer to Tsuna and prepared to protect their Sky with their dying will.

Tsuna, however, had another thing in mind. "If you want to fight us, fine. But this is between Vongola and Pedine. The DOLLARS have nothing to do with this. Let them leave this place or else – "

Vincenzo interrupted Tsuna as he laughed at the demand. Tsuna seemed taken aback and annoyed but kept his cool.

Vincenzo held his hand to his face as he controlled his laughter. He looked past his hand to stare at the Vongola boss. "I don't think you have the right to demand anything now, Vongola Decimo. But, I have to agree with you on this one. The DOLLARS have nothing to do with this; or perhaps maybe I should say they've already done their part of the plan." Vincenzo Pedine turned his attention to the Ikebukuro group, paying special attention to the wiry, raven-haired teen. "Thank you for your help Ryuugamine Mikado-kun."

Gasps were heard and all heads turned to the DOLLARS Boss. Mikado stood there with shadowed eyes, so different from his usual gentle demeanor.

"Bastard. So the DOLLARS Boss is working for the Pedine after all. And to think Jyuudaime went all his way just to save you." Gokudera spat furiously, glaring coldly at Mikado.

"No, that must be a mistake. Mikapon would never do that!" Erika looked at Mikado with eyes pleading to deny the outrageous claim.

"Mikado, you said you were not working for them right? That Pedine bastard's lying." Kida confronted his bestfriend, his expression full of confusion and anxiety.

"Mikado-san..." Tsuna's voice trailed and the brunet just looked at his Ikebukuro friend sadly. As much as this fact hurt, his intuition told him that the Pedine Boss was far from lying.

Mikado faced his best friend and looked straight into the blonde's eyes. He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Masaomi, this is for the best of DOLLARS. There's no way I would allow Vongola to have its way in it. You should have realized by now, they're mafia. They're dangerous."

The DOLLARS who had been watching the exchange flinched at Mikado's statement. The Vongola was mafia. They were already contemplating that these children were involved in something shady, but hearing it and confirming it made it harder to believe.

That meant those kids were part of the underground world. The fact was mind blowing. Color gangs can be considered part of it as well, but the mafia is on a whole different level.

"I don't understand Mikado! Pedine is a mafia family as well! They even kidnapped you! Are you saying you helped Pedine plan against Vongola? Against Tsuna? Why! That is not like you!"

"What do you know Masaomi? We were both there when he revealed his true identity. Tsuna is the boss of the Vongola Famiglia. What do you know about Vongola?"

"What do you know about the Vongola Famiglia?" Mikado furrowed his brows.

Mikado took a deep breath, his eyes were focused on Tsuna's, and he began to speak...

* * *

><p><em>"Why won't you work for us instead?"<em>

_Mikado looked incredulously at the Pedine Boss. Was this man serious? Mikado could not fathom why he was offering him such a deal._

_Mikado mustered up his courage to refuse the offer. He was afraid. He knew how dangerous these people were, his life was practically in their hands. However, he couldn't accept the offer. Never! How could he? These men were bad people. These men hurt his best friend!_

_"I – I'll have to refuse your offer." Mikado stuttered, bravely holding his gaze against the fierce one of the Pedine Boss. "You can do anything to me, hurt me, whatever, I don't care. But I will not work for you."_

_"It's a very rare chance for a mafia group to offer a civilian such as you to join. Are you confident in your answer Dragon King? No regrets?"_

_Mikado gulped. He could feel his whole body tremble at the man's cold voice. He nodded nonetheless._

_Mikado was surprised when the man cracked a smile, and a few seconds later, the room was filled with his hearty laugh. This wasn't what he expected; Mikado had expected to see the man furious at his decision. He hadn't anticipated this turn of events._

_Tense minutes passed before the Vincenzo managed to hush his laughter. He face the fazed raven-haired teen with a small smile. "Just relax Ryuugamine Mikado-kun. I actually expected that answer. Actually I'm surprised that you had the guts to even reject. The DOLLARS has a very loyal boss."_

_Vincenzo reclined on his seat and shrugged. "No matter. Things have changed and I think I have an offer that you can't reject."_

_Mikado stared blankly at him, not knowing what he meant._

_"Before I continue, I would like to ask you something first. Do you have any connection with the Vongola?"_

_Mikado's brows furrowed. Vongola? What is that? Mikado filed through his memory for anything about the Vongola but found nothing. He shook his head hesitantly. "What is that? A kind of food?"_

_Vincenzo smirked at the clueless raven but his smile left as quickly as it came and his expression was replaced by a thoughtful one. "Hmm…So you don't know? Really? I mean, you can't expect the most prestigious Italian mafia family's boss to negotiate for you for no reason no? You must have some connections."_

_"What do you mean?" Mikado asked quizzically, still unable to understand the man's explanation._

_"The Vongola Famiglia is the most powerful mafia family in existence. Apparently, its tenth boss is coming to get you right now. Doesn't that make you curious to why a man—no I should say boy of such a caliber would come for you?"_

_Why indeed? Mikado was puzzled as well. Why would this Vongola, this boss of a mafia family come to save him? He was interrupted with an annoyed tsk from the man and he looked up._

_"Tsk, what do they want with you?" Vincenzo looked genuinely troubled. "Could the Vongola also be interested in you?" He continued to talk to himself. After remembering Mikado, he looked at him his eyes still troubled. "You know Ryuugamine-kun, the Pedine family aren't in good terms with the Vongolas. It would be in their best interest to interfere with our plans." Vincenzo paused and studied the raven. "I know you've already rejected us, but I should warn you not to get involved with the Vongola."_

_"Of course not!" Mikado eagerly defended himself. "I-I don't plan on working for you or any other mafia family."_

_The man sighed, feigning relief. "I figured. I'm slightly worried though. I'm not sure if the Vongola would let you off so easily. Especially once they realize that you're the head of the DOLLARS. They wouldn't want such an opportunity to slip though their fingers."_

_Mikado's eyes widened. "What? They're after DOLLARS?"_

_Vincenzo laughed darkly. "Probably. But knowing the Vongola, I'd say they wouldn't even ask you. You'll find yourself tied to them screaming and kicking."_

_There was a short paused as Mikado contemplated what to say next. He was definitely lost. This conversation had launched into uncharged grounds. Instead of being scared of the man in front of him as he should be, he felt greater fear in what the man had told him._

_"I'm sure you want to know more about the Vongola." Vincenzo nodded in thought. "The Vongola is feared throughout the underground world because of its power and influence. It's known to have the bloodiest and cruelest history; its record has gained it reverence by all other families. It has well trained members that helps control and direct its policies. We, Pedine, have actually been trying to challenge the Vongola on some issues."_

_Mikado listened thoughtfully. Noting Mikado's attention, Vincenzo continued, "Do you know how they got such power? Do you know why they are feared by many families? Would you liked to hear it?"_

_Mikado paused but nodded after some deliberation._

_Vincenzo smiled grimly."When I was little, I was part of another family. We were a relatively small group our main function was to provide information. We were part of the Vongola alliance."_

_"Eighteen years ago, Vongola headquarters was attacked by a rival family. Vongola defeated the other family, but it was clear there had been a leak in information. The enemy was too knowledgeable, too orderly. After the attack, we were accused of giving information that rival family. We were cut off from the alliance and was shunned. But our boss, the one who had scouted me and cared for me, still wanted to make up with the Vongola. He went to see the Vongola leader to negotiate. However, he never returned. A week later when we were still unorganized, our headquarters were attacked by the very same people whom we once trusted. No one was spared, all my friends were killed. I barely escaped."_

_Mikado looked skeptical and opened his mouth. "How can I be sure that you're not lying?"_

_The Pedine boss'ssnarly voice resounded throughout the room. "Lies. Deceit. Betrayals. Ryuugamine-kun, this is the mafia world. It's up to you if you want to believe me or not, but let me ask you this. Would you rather doubt me and side with your 'savior' without knowing his true intentions? Don't you want to know the truth about the Vongola?"_

_Mikado paused. A part of him wanted to reject this man, he wanted to leave and go home. But a bigger part of him was afraid of all this mafia talk. He didn't want to get involved. Whatever this Vongola family was, he didn't want to get involved. It wasn't that he was fearful for himself; rather he was more fearful for his friends and the DOLLARS. He didn't want them to get involved as well._

_"Why are you telling me this?" Mikado asked softly._

_"Hmm? I just thought you should know about what's to come. Maybe you would reconsider—"_

_"What!"_

_"Ah, don't worry. I'm not talking about you joining us. Actually, I would much rather prefer that you don't work for any family. "_

_Vincenzo studied the raven and asked. "So what are you going to do now Ryuugamine-kun? The Vongola boss is coming here. I'm afraid we will have to let you go; your meeting with him will be inevitable."_

_Mikado shuddered at the thought._

_"I know that you are probably tired of all this now. I'm afraid if the Vongola get a hold of you, you'll never be able to escape." Vincenzo added thoughtfully. "Maybe we can help you. Of course, only if you'd like us to." The Pedine Boss gave a small smile to Mikado._

_Mikado deliberated for a minute before saying, "tell me what can I do?" He whispered, desperate for a way out._

_Vincenzo smiled, pleased at the flow of events. "We plan on subduing the Vongola boss and his guardians. After the negotiation, we've gotten a tip that the Vongola will met up with his guardians. During that time, we plan to launch a surprise attack."_

_"This is the part where we need your help." The Pedine Boss stood up and presented Mikado with a little device. It looked like a mini-controller with a single button. "This plan will only work when Vongola and his guardians are together. I need you to give us the signal when that moment comes. It's as simple as that. I promise, after all this, we will leave you and your precious DOLLARS alone."_

_The man walked towards Mikado and held out his hand, offering the device to Mikado. Mikado warily stretched out his palm and Vincenzo placed the small button in Mikado's hand. "I almost forgot! If this plan succeeds, the Vongola will most likely leave you alone." Vincenzo smiled and pulled himself away from Mikado, walking back to sit his seat._

_Mikado was still hesitant, at a total loss on what to do._

_"Ryuugamine-kun, it's up to you whether you want to do this or not. If you don't press the button, we will never make our move. We respect your decision." Vincenzo smiled calmly. "Though, that will mean we will be your enemies the next time we meet." Vincenzo muttered softly more to himself than Mikado._

_Mikado's head snapped up when he heard soft consecutive knocks on the door; the Pedine Boss smiled and answered with a mild 'enter'. The door opened and a scarred man stepped in._

_"Boss," started the scarred man. "Someone has come for you."_

_Mikado turned to look to the scarred man in disbelief while the Pedine boss just beamed ecstatically._

_"Oh? You mean he's already here. Hmmm... He's a bit late. I've been waiting for him to come for a while now." The Pedine boss looked him, smiling knowingly._

_The Pedine boss stood up from his seat and gave his attention to the raven-haired teen. Mikado remained silent while looking back at the man uncertainly._

_"Think about what I have told you Ryugamine-kun. I presume you already know what's going to happen next."_

* * *

><p>Everyone held their breaths as Mikado finished his story. They were obviously very much affected by the revelation. Mikado helping his kidnappers in a plan against the Vongola was a real shock to them. It was hard for them to believe that the gentle boy had a part, however small his part was, in such a devious plan. But what perturbed them more was Vongola's background. Not only was it a mafia family, it was the most powerful and probably the most dangerous family in the world.<p>

Tsuna stayed silent. There was no words to refute it. Vongola _was_ exactly what Mikado had said.

"Why are you silent? Because everything I've said is true, isn't it? Is this the reason you kept the truth from everyone? About the Vongola? To not scare everyone? Why aren't you saying anything? I'm right aren't I? You just like the Pedine, you're after DOLLARS!" Mikado spat angrily.

Kida couldn't defend Tsuna. He was too shocked. Was Tsuna really lying? Was everything Mikado said about the Vongola true? Was Tsuna just...

Vincenzo Pedine smirked as he calmly watched the scene unfold in front of him. He had to admit, he didn't expect other DOLLAR members to be there, but it didn't really matter. What mattered, and it pleased him immensely was the betrayed faces of both parties: Vongola and DOLLARS. What he relished most was the pained expression on Tsuna's face.

_Will__ you __fight __your __friends __Vongola__ Decimo__? __The__ friends__ you __claim__ to __protect__?_ He smirked sarcastically.

"Tsuna, the Vongola, and the mafia. This is like a messed up manga, ne?" Erika mumbled under her breath.

"But this time, Erika-san, it's true." Yumasaki reminded the otaku girl.

"Everyone, I – " Tsuna started but faltered when he saw the hardened expressions around him. Tsuna let his head fall down. _I__ am__ sorry__._ He wanted to say it, but was unable to.

His guardians could feel Tsuna's pain. They all gritted their teeth, unable to contain their own anger at the predicament, but unable to say anything either.

The air hung heavy around the group. No one spoke nor moved, they only stared quietly, waiting for someone to talk. To everyone's surprise, it was Celty who broke the stupor, as she walked towards Tsuna. The guardians tensed, ready to defend Tsuna from a rebuttal.

Celty easily repelled them with her shadows, restraining the kids. She walked closer to Tsuna, ignoring the shocked expression in Tsuna's face.

"Damn you woman! I knew we can't trust you all along." Gokudera hissed as he pried himself free from the shadowy strings. The other guardians likewise untangled themselves.

Tsuna stared wide-eyed at his shadow-bounded friends. He narrowed his eyes and tensed his body as he prepared to interfere. However he was slow to act, hesitating to attack. His hyper intuition told him that Celty had no ill-intentions. Everything was going to be alright.

It was a matter of moments, Celty quickly crossed the distance and hugged the brunet, surprising everyone.

The dullahan didn't speak. She needed her PDA to communicate her thoughts and feelings. However, this time she knew that just typing in her PDA wasn't good enough; she needed to show the others what she truly felt, something words just couldn't describe. So she hugged Tsuna. It was her only way of telling him that she trusted him.

It was just a small gesture but it had great impact.

Tsuna understood what the dullahan was saying. He smiled and hugged the woman back.

"Thank you, Celty-san." He whispered.

Celty nodded and remained in embrace for a few seconds before she pulled away and released the guardians from their restraints. However shocked they were at Celty's actions, they had also understood. Celty was on their side.

Mikado gasped, not comprehending Celty's action. He whirled around as he heard other people speak.

"You know kid, I've known Celty for so long and I would only say that she is a great judge in character. For her to do that only means one thing." Shizuo commented.

"Well, I really don't mind that Tsuna-chan's a mafia boss or nothin'. I can't deny that he saved me." Erika said nonchalantly. Yumasaki and Togusa nodded in agreement as they remembered Tsuna's actions. He had done nothing that screamed enemy-like to them.

Kadota who had silently slipped out from the shadows, walked towards Mikado with a thoughtful expression. He took a breath and exhaled before he spoke. "Mikado, what you said was really shocking. But I think you need to reconsider, what Celty did, what the Vongola are, who Tsuna is. I think you should reconsider. Tsuna might not be who _you_ think him as."

Mikado stood there, confusion marked in his every feature. Why was everyone siding with the Vongola? Why? Should they be on their side?

"They're mafia!" He blurted out.

"We can see that." Kadota reminded him calmly.

Mikado shook his head, not relenting. No they didn't know. They had no idea! "You can't be serious." He laughed hysterically. "They're _mafia_, they _kill_ people, they want you to help them _kill_ people."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Gokudera yelled.

"Shut up!" Mikado said. "I'm tired, I want this to end. I don't want anyone to get involved anymore." He shook his head. "No, no, no!" He chorused, "what's wrong with everyone? Why can't you see that they're dangerous? Why can't you see that I'm trying to protect-"

Mikado's turmoils was muffled as Kida suddenly grabbed his friend into a tight embrace. "Mikado..." He muttered, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Mikado feel silent, slightly shocked at his friend's apology. What was he sorry for?

Kida continued, still holding Mikado. "Mikado, I'm sorry for not realizing it. We shouldn't be blaming you right? You were hurt and thinking about us the whole time weren't you?" He asked, slowly releasing his hold. He stepped back, his face comforting. "You only helped the Pedine because you wanted what's best for DOLLARS right?"

Mikado was still lost for words but he nodded his head robotically. Everyone stayed frozen as they watched connection between the two friends.

"You were pressed into a corner weren't you? Learning that Tsuna was part of a family didn't help either did it?" Kida glanced at Tsuna before returning to look at Mikado seriously. "But, regardless what anyone's told you, Mikado. Tsuna's still the same Tsuna. You think he's changed because that Pedine bastard told you things. But, even though we all know the truth, I don't think that just because Vongola has its history means that Tsuna is like that." Kida shook his head. "I just can't think of Tsuna that way. I _know_ he's not pretending to be someone he's not."

Mikado stuttered. He stared hopelessly in Kida's eyes, wanting to believe him. "But..."

Kiba smiled meekly, "I know there's a part of you, deep inside, that still believes in our _friend_."

Mikado shut his eyes, mulling over everything. He recalled all that had happened on that day, that very day: rescuing the brunet; listening to the Tsuna's stories; helping him find Izaya; his own captivity; and learning about the truth about Vongola. Was his decision right? What was right anymore?

Mikado opened his eyes and softly muttered. "Masaomi, was I...w-wrong?"

Mikado never got an answer. There was a loud **bam** and everyone turned to uncover the source. What they saw was only the beginning.

"Jyuudaime!"

"Tsuna!"

"Tsuna-nii!"

"Sawada!"

"Boss!"

Tsuna was bleeding, crumbled on top of Celty. At the instant the bullet was fired, he had jumped to shield the dullahan.

There was no other trigger. The CHAOS began.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

And CUT! XD

Uwaaaa... I'm really sorry for the wait. But I really hope the chapter was worth it. I'm actually too happy with how it turned out, special thanks to **TotallySweetFantasy** for that. The chapter was my idea but the _drama_ is hers. =D

So what do you think? Any loose ends you spot on? Haha. If you saw any weirdness, don't hesitate to ask away. =D

Next chapter: fighting, fighting, and more butt-kicking =D

And of course, special thanks to the lurkers, alerters, favers and most especially to the awesome **reviewers**. =D _Hangad ko ang inyong kasiyahan._


	19. Ch18: Where the Chaos Starts and Ends

Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn and Durarara! belong to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei and Ryogho Narita-sensei. (^w^)

**APPOINTMENTS **

**CHAPTER 18: **Where the Chaos Starts and Ends

Mikado stood frozen as he felt and watched the rapid movement around him. Everything moved too fast, short lived blurs in front of his inexperienced eyes.

The scarred man's gunshot had begun it all. The moment Vongola Decimo had fallen, the attack had commenced. Bulk men all around them whipped out their weapons: guns, swords, and various other dangerous devices Mikado had never thought of glimmered threatening under the moonlight.

But they were not alone, the Vongola had also pulled out their own weapons, mirroring the contempt and bloodlust that were on Pedine's faces. However, the teens expressions had a thousand times more impact than those of the Pedine; if the thirst for battle the Pedine showed was frightening, the relative fury that the group of five emanated was terrifying. Their expressions made every DOLLAR shiver in fear. The pure outrage sent blood chilling vibes within a five yard radius.

Without any preamble, the Pedine attacked.

Standing their ground, the Vongola readied themselves. In a split second, the two rival families clashed, initiating the start of a destructive battle.

To the side, Yamamoto exchanged fierce strikes with multiple enemies. He smoothly evaded every assault that they hurled at him. With his esteemed sword technique, Shigure Soen Style, Yamamoto cut down his enemies in cold defiance. The blade of his sword, Shigure Kintoki, gleamed as he hacked his attackers one by one.

Away from Yamamoto, Gokudera feed dynamites into an odd-looking gun. However much an elaborate artifact it looked, the Flame Arrow could inflict mass damage to his enemies. The unusual blazing, red flames that shot from the gun were baleful and any unfortunate soul who was unable to dodge were immediately burned and fatally immobilized.

Supporting were Lambo and Chrome who stood defensively near Tsuna, keeping tabs on the multitude of enemies that bombarded them.

Lambo, with his cow-horns, distracted the attackers with his Electrico Cornata. The electricity that his nifty gadget produced was comparable to the destructive flames of Gokudera's weapon. Any Pedine men who approached the child, thinking they found an easy target, was quickly singed to a crisp.

Next to him, Chrome swung her trident, sending her opponents flying backward. Using her illusions, she diverted men away from Tsuna and the DOLLARS to be taken down by a fellow guardian.

Ryohei stayed out of the battle; instead, he was kneeling by Tsuna's side, busily attending the injured brunet.

Celty, who was the initial target for the bullet, support Tsuna as the boxer applied some strange medicine to the bleeding injury.

As Mikado's wide eyes took in all the action, he realized the true weight of his actions – his mistakes.

_This is my fault. This is all __**my**_ _fault._

The horrible thought echoed through Mikado's head, endlessly. This was all because he had helped the Pedine. He was the one who started this mess.

Mikado's stomach turned from the massive guilt and despair he felt.

_Your friends are in danger. __**You**_ _put them in danger._

A little voice whispered mockingly as Mikado stared, devastated, at Tsuna's fallen form.

An uncontrollable trail of tears flowed freely from his eyes, as he walked zombie-like towards Tsuna. The distance wasn't far, but it to him, to Mikado, it felt like an eternity.

As he approached, Ryohei paused from his work and narrowed his eyes, warning Mikado. He was angry – justifiably so – at Mikado, and he didn't hesitate to show it. Ryohei slowly stood up, and glared icily at the raven.

Celty knew that Ryohei's anger was justified; however, she also wanted to stop him. But unable to find a way to pacify the boxer, she stayed quietly at Tsuna's side. After all, she was the one that Tsuna had protected, if she'd been faster, Tsuna wouldn't had needed to save her.

Kida and rest of the DOLLARS were too shocked to move. The action progressed too fast, the sound of metal hitting metal was too cold and final. There was the lasting stupor of an all out 'war' that hung in the air. They vaguely noted that Mikado had left their side, and had progressed to a few yards away. They tensed, as a slow worry took over their bodies as they feared for Mikado's safety.

"Onii-san, please calm down."

The growing tension snapped as all heads turned to find Tsuna slowly sitting up, with Celty's support. The fabric of the right side of his shirt had been ripped, but the wound was miraculously healed.

"Sawada! You should stay still! You're – "

"I'm alright Onii-san," Tsuna cut him off. "It was only a scratch, the bullet didn't hit any vital organs. And your sun pills and flames already healed the worst. Besides, I still have something to do."

Tsuna's wary expression turned grim as he directed his attention at Mikado. But the hard look did not last, as Tsuna's features softened, and he smiled genuinely at the silently confused teen he knew how hurt and baffled by. Mikado was the real victim; he was the victim of self-centered pride, lust for power, and the constant lies of the mafia world. Mikado had been misguided, manipulated, and cornered until he had no choice. He was thrown into the mess to act as bait for the sake of rivalry and personal goals. It wasn't Mikado's fault.

Mikado could not hear Tsuna's thoughts as remorse continued to claw away at him like a plague. He couldn't comprehend Tsuna's gentle smile, his soft eyes, the expression of acceptance. Why wasn't Tsuna blaming him? He should be furious! Ready to destroy him. Rather, it was just the opposite.

Reality hit. Cold. Hard.

This was the _real_ Tsuna.

It didn't matter that he was Vongola Decimo. It didn't matter that he was the don of the most powerful (possibly dangerous) mafia family. It all didn't matter. It didn't matter because Tsuna was his friend.

"Tsuna...This... I... I never... I never thought it would turn out like this. I...I'm so sorry." Mikado bowed his head, his voice stuttered the sincere apology. Tears ran like rivers down his cheeks, endlessly.

Tsuna smiled softly, he could feel the deep regret Mikado was harboring. He slowly closed the distance between him and the raven and lifted his face to gently wipe the tears from the raven's cheek.

"It's okay Mikado-san. I understand. It's okay. It's not your fault. You only wanted to protect your friends."Tsuna softly soothed.

"It's not your fault so please stop blaming yourself." He smiled. "It's already been done, right now all we can do is protect everyone. I promise that I will do everything to get everyone out safely." Tsuna's amber eyes reflected his absolute resolution. "Can you trust me this time?"

Mikado stared into Tsuna's earnest eyes. In his heart, there was no doubt, only acceptance. Mikado nodded and slowly turned his head to the rest of the DOLLARS, waiting for their approval.

Kida and the others smiled widely and nodded their agreement.

"Thank you."

Tsuna mouthed his gratitude as he calmly shut his eyes. Seconds later, glowing orange flames slowly sprouted from his forehead, surprising the DOLLARS. Opening his eyes, Tsuna's eyes face was lax, his piercing amber eyes were confident and serious.

All around him, his guardians smirked as they sensed Tsuna's Hyper Dying Will mode.

Gokudera, Yamamoto, Lambo, and Chrome all strategically retreated to Tsuna's side. They didn't stare at Mikado with hate, but relaxed; they understood and followed their boss's wish. The misunderstanding had dissipated. The DOLLARS and Vongola, whatever their issue had been beforehand, had come together as allies.

As the group slowly knit together, the previous anxiety and uncertainty had vanished. Sensing the renewed spirit, the Pedine warily encircled the group. The fact that the Vongola had regrouped had changed the atmosphere.

Moreover, Tsuna's tremendous, orange flame sparked fear in every hitman's face. The Pedine ceased their attack, as they waited anxiously for more directions.

Assessing the paused attack, Tsuna quickly formulated a plan. His voice was soft and fast as he whispered it to his friends. "There's no other way other than to defeat them all. We need to hold them back so that Mikado can escape with his DOLLARS."

His guardians nodded slightly, agreeing with the last moment conclusion.

The DOLLARS who were close enough to hear, gaped at Tsuna with unbelief.

"Kid, it's not like I'm doubting you or anything, but that's just too reckless." Shizuo cursed. He hated violence, but he wouldn't let these _kids_ to act as the decoy. He was pissed and he wasn't going to let the whatever-mah-call it "mafia" thing screw with him.

Celty agreed silently, as she slowly tilted her helmet to release her shadows. She grabbed her scythe, and defiantly stepped forward.

"It's not like we're DOLLARS for nothing, Tsuna. Besides, we can't let these guys off after what they did to our boss." Kadota said authoritatively.

Tsuna started to protest but was cut off by his guardians.

"Kadota-jii is EXTREME Sawada!"

"Shizuo-san is really tough too – right Gokudera?"

"Che. I have to admit, the bartender guy's a monster, Jyuudaime."

Tsuna couldn't argue; instead, he turned his attention to other half of the group. "What about the others though." He argued.

"Don't worry about us! We're not as strong as you guys but we'll be able to defend ourselves Tsuna." Kida assured. Mikado, Erika, Yumasaki, and Togusa nodded their heads in agreement.

Tsuna was unsure but resigned when he was faced with the DOLLARS' determined faces.

"Jyuudaime, if they are joining us – " the Vongola right-hand man spared a look at the DOLLARS. "I think we could fight more effectively if we formed groups with them." Gokudera suggested to his boss.

Tsuna did not need more to time to approve. Gokudera's ideas and strategies had always come in handy in dire situations. "Then, about the groups – "

"Gokudera, Shizuo-san, Celty-san and I could group Tsuna." Yamamoto quickly decided. Shizuo and Celty just nodded while Gokudera fumed but did not voice out his objections.

"Kadota-jii and I will pair up Sawada." Kadota sighed but agreed to Ryohei's thinking.

"Boss, Lambo-chan and I can protect Erika-san, Yumasaki-san and Togusa-san." Chrome offered solemnly.

Tsuna was a bit surprised at the quick decisions but didn't argue. "Okay. Then, Masaomi-san and Mikado-san will be with me." He turned to Mikado and Kida who acknowledged his decisions.

After settling the groups, Tsuna quickly added. "Also, the shorter the time we defeat them, the better so – " The Vongola Decimo turned to his guardians, his eyes serious and voice commanding. "We are going all out."

"Tsuna, that would attract – "

"We won't. Don't worry about that."

The teens blinked and realized what their Boss meant. Then, they smirked at Tsuna's notion. The DOLLARS were confused as they listened to the talk.

Their short discussion had ended. Tsuna brought out his mittens and put them on his hands.

Then, he muttered under his breath. "Cambio Forma Version X."

At the same time, the Vongola guardians made the same gesture as their boss. In just a matter of seconds, the Vongola were engulfed in dying will flames. When the flames faded, they were clad in their respective Vongola gear weapons.

The DOLLARS did not comprehend where the weird colored flames came from and how it was possible for the teens to change their appearance. They were absolutely awestruck at what they had witnessed. Whatever the Vongola had done, it must be what Tsuna meant when he said they were going all out.

The Vongola's display definitely affected the Pedine men as well. Feeling the heightened anxiety of the enemies, Tsuna stepped forward and gave his final warning and last attempt to settle things peacefully.

"Vincenzo-san, we can still stop this senseless battle if you withdraw your men."

The Pedine Boss glared at Tsuna with hateful eyes and replied fiercely. "I'm afraid I will not back out now Vongola Decimo. Not after all of these."

"Then, you leave us no choice."

Tsuna turned to his comrades and signaled.

This time around, the Vongola and DOLLARS were the first to attack.

* * *

><p>"So, how will this work out again?" Togusa peered at his kouhais questioningly.<p>

"Tsuna-chan said we just have to take down all these guys right?" Erika answered the long-haired man casually.

"Back then it was easy to say that but now that we're here face-to-face these guys – " Yumasaki surveyed the men who had chosen their group as target and gulped. "this'll be quite difficult."

Five hitmen decided to charge towards them and Togusa, Yumasaki and Erika immediately got into their fighting stances. But it was a mistake on the hitmen's part as they forgot that the Vongola mist and lightning guardians were together with their targets.

Chrome stepped in and twirled her Vongola gear weapon. The khakkara on her hands emitted purple flames as she created illusionary vines.

"What the heck is that?" Togusa said as he watched seemingly real vines coil around the panicked hitmen. They were rendered motionless.

"Oh! That reminds me. Chrome-chan could create illusions!" Erika exclaimed brightly as she remembered the mist and invisible walls in the Purple Limascon hide-out that was Chrome's doing.

"So she could do something like that too?" Yumasaki commented with a subtle hint of excitement.

Togusa who had no idea about the details about the clash between the Vongola and his friends just gawked at the female mist guardian in disbelief.

"Yup! Chrome-nee could recreate anything with her illusions."

The DOLLARS jumped at the sudden appearance of the cow-child. When they saw the boy, he was sporting a horned helmet that looked too large for him. But the child wore it like it was normal.

"What are you wearing Lambo-chan?" Erika curiously scrutinized the weird helm.

"This is my Vongola gear! It's my weapon so that I can protect you like we promised Tsuna-nii!" Lambo proudly declared.

The DOLLARS would have asked more about the Vongola gear but they were rudely interrupted.

"Do you think you can beat us with a cow-horn brat!" an enemy yelped at them.

Chrome was still busily fending off more enemies. So, it was up to Lambo to face the new group that appeared. The kid stared at the enemies in concentration, fighting the urge to run away.

Togusa, Yumasaki and Erika surrounded the cow-child protectively. Even if the kid was part of mafia and knew how to fight, they would not allow the men to gang up on an eight-year-old boy. Just what kind of adults were they if they allowed that.

"Kid, stay still and let us handle these guys." Togusa told Lambo sternly.

"Eh?"

"Lambo-chan, we wouldn't want you to get hurt." Erika explained to the boy.

Lambo bowed his head. The DOLLARS thought the cow-child had let it go but he looked up at the adults instead.

"I know. But still, let me fight with you. I'm one of Tsuna-nii's guardians too." Lambo muttered insistently.

Seeing the kid's determined face, the DOLLARS looked at each other and sighed collectively.

"Alright Lambo-chan. Let's beat these bad men real bad."

* * *

><p>Kadota caught a glimpse of his friends fighting alongside the little cow-child as he evaded another punch thrown at him by his opponent.<p>

He was rather surprised to see the little kid giving aid to his friends by using shock attacks from what seemed to be the kid's weird helmet. The pineapple-haired girl, on the other hand, was warding off more men with creepy crawling things.

His friends – well – Kadota haven't seen them fight seriously for a long time so he had somehow forgot their unique quirks when fighting. Yumasaki's fondness of molotovs, Erika's torturous methods and Togusa's obsessive nature when he protects something, may it be his precious van or his friends, had always been frightful when triggered. The shocked and weirded-out faces of the mafiosi was proof to that.

Seeing the group was faring well, he focused his attention to his fight.

Unlike the others, Kadota and Ryohei both prided themselves in fighting one-on-one matches. So even if they were paired, they faced their opponents individually.

Ryohei, clad in his Vongola style boxing gloves, took down another man in mere seconds. He turned to Kadota and challenged the shadow-banchou. "Kadota-jii, how's your end doing? I've already knocked four men out."

The loud boxer really had a penchant for competitions.

Kadota side-stepped to his left and kneed the man lunging at him with a dagger. "Got some hits but nothing serious. Though, I'm starting to get exhausted. These guys just don't quit." He finished while elbowing a man who had snuck on his back.

"We should just do this faster then."

Ryohei paused and collected sun flames in his boxing gloves. When he felt that they were charged enough, the boxer released a surge of yellow flames towards his opponents. The men were immediately knocked out.

Kadota gaped at sun guardian's action. "And just what technique was that?"

Ryohei grinned at him enthusiastically. "You can see them? Your really strong to the extreme Kadota-jii! Those were my sun flames."

Kadota did not understand better when the boxer told him about his sun flames. He inquired further. "And just what do these... flames do?"

"Er – " Ryohei furrowed his brows in thought. "Mine's activation. It can extremely heal! The sun pills are medicine reinforced with my sun flames so it's really effective for recovery. The others... I forgot to the extreme!"

The seemingly inattentive boxer turned once more to dodge a bullet. He quickly closed the distance between him and his attacker and punched the sniper hard on the gut.

_So those flames on Tsuna's forehead and when they suddenly changed their weapons, those were real? And here I thought that was just my imagination. _Kadota mused as he found another opponent to combat with.

Kadota's ears perked up and the man shot a glance at the direction where a sudden explosion happened. There was no doubt that was the dynamite-using kid – Gokudera's work. He could only wonder what was happening to their side as he remembered just what kind of fighters their group has.

* * *

><p>Shizuo effortlessly threw another unfortunate body of his opponent. The thrown man collided to his fellow hitmen with a force enough for all of them to tumble on the ground.<p>

"Strike." The blonde stated as if he was playing bowling with the thrown man as the ball and the group of men as the pins.

His attention switched to Yamamoto and he frowned when he saw the teen's condition. He prepared to help him but stopped as Ikebukuro's doll witnessed what happened next.

Yamamoto stayed unmoving in his position as Pedine men charged towards him in all directions. He closed his eyes and held up the katanas in his both hands as he waited for the men to get closer to him.

The attacking hitmen thought that the teen was frozen due to fear and were completely overjoyed as they made their assault. But when they got near enough the swordsman, his aura changed and he opened his eyes narrowly.

"Shiguen Soen Style 8th offensive form: Pelting Rain." He whispered to himself.

Then, Yamamoto twirled, the blades of his katanas cutting through the men that had closed into him. In just a few seconds, the swordsman's attackers fell on the ground one by one, unable to move and barely alive.

Shizuo whistled his awe of the swordsman's skill. He approached the teen and immediately gave his praise.

"That was really nice kid. I remember that move in our fight before but, you were using your bamboo sword back then." the blonde eyed the two katanas on Yamamoto's hands. "Where the hell did you get your swords by the way?"

"These?" Yamamoto beamed mysteriously at the blonde and told his answer. "We can say that my bamboo sword and these katanas are one and the same."

"Huh?" Shizuo grunted. He could not believe the raven although the blonde felt that he wasn't lying.

Not really caring about details, Shizuo just turned to his next victim and just shrugged. "Whatever."

Shizuo returned to ruthlessly beating up some more men. The man in bartender's suit was thoroughly striking fear to the mafiosi who targeted him.

Yamamoto also turned back to his hitman-mode. He counted the remaining opponents in his mind and noticed the fast dwindling numbers.

_Heh. That would be because of Gokudera. His attacks really are the most useful when we face mobs like this. _Yamamoto smirked as he heard another explosion from the nearby area.

The aforementioned silver-haired teen was busily engaging his opponents using his Vongola gear dynamites. The storm guardian lighted the explosive sticks on his hands using the cigarette-looking pipe igniter on his mouth while scanning the area with his special sunglasses.

When he had spotted the best places for blasting, he flung his dynamites swiftly and muttered.

"Rocket bombs Version X!"

The rocket dynamites speedily went to their respective destinations and flared up simultaneously, burning and injuring the men in the affected area. The explosions were much smaller than usual as Gokudera considered the locations where the others were fighting.

He turned away from the scene and looked for more men to bomb when he saw what the Black Rider was doing. The woman's scythe swiped through the bodies of the hitmen as if it had its own life. Unconscious bodies littered around the Black Rider.

Celty looked at Gokudera and ran towards his direction with her scythe in hand. Gokudera widened his eyes. It looked like she was going to attack him.

And attack she did.

Gokudera was stunned for a moment when he felt the Black Rider's shadow-scythe pass through his body. He was expecting pain but felt none. He heard a thump afterwards and spun to his back to see an unconscious man with a gun on his hand.

Realizing his inattention and the apparent rescue he had received, Gokudera looked at Celty in reluctant gratitude.

"Er – Thanks... I guess."

Celty just nodded in acknowledgement which triggered the teen's untimely irritation.

"You can talk you know! If you just told me someone's behind my back I could have taken the sneaky bastard down myself!" He yelled indignantly.

Celty, slightly taken aback by Gokudera's reaction, produced her PDA and typed quickly.

[Uhmm... Sorry, I can't talk, I mean... I don't have a voice. It's kinda hard to explain.]

"Hmph! Fine." Gokudera grumbled. Though inwardly, he was surprised that the shadow-woman did not talk because she couldn't. And here he thought the mysterious woman just refused to talk directly.

The Black Rider was really starting to get Gokudera's curiosity.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the dullahan's PDA hovered in front of the storm guardian much to his surprise.

[Gokudera-san, looks like the last of the men are attacking Shizuo and your friend.]

Gokudera saw the situation and quickly pulled off some dynamites from the straps coiled around his body. He threw off the dynamites to Shizuo and Yamamoto's location.

"Zero ignite!"

The bombs exploded producing smoke everywhere. The startled Pedine men did their best to get out of the smoke-covered area.

"Gokudera, you should warn us first before you throw your bombs carelessly!" Yamamoto coughed as he got out of the smoke screen.

"Che. It's your own fault that you didn't get away."

"This punk." Shizuo who was also a victim to Gokudera's special bomb glared at the silver-haired teen.

Celty touched Shizuo's shoulder to calm the blonde and pointed her scythe to the enemies.

"Oi Yakyuu-baka. Use your flames to slow down those bastards. Then Bartender guy and Shadow-woman, you can attack them as you will after." Gokudera shared his plans to the others.

"Oh like that time huh?" Yamamoto caught on to what the silver-haired teen was thinking and released his rain swallow, Kojirou, from its sword form. The rain swallow flied above the now clearing area and showered tiny drops of rain flames.

"What the hell is that bird? And what is it doing?" Shizuo asked the rain guardian.

Yamamoto just grinned back at Shizuo again and explained. "Ah! That's one of my partners, Kojirou. He's emitting rain flame infused droplets that would stop the movements of those who were under it."

Of course, the Ikebukuroans were totally clueless of what Yamamoto was talking about. So they only observed what happened to the enemies. And like what the teen said, the Pedine men affected by the rain flames were standing before them immobilized.

Seeing the lethargic forms of the enemies, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Shizuo and Celty made their way to beat them down. After easily overwhelming the Pedine men, they looked around and saw that their side of fight was over.

"We're finally done here. We can go to Tsuna now." Yamamoto looked at the place where Tsuna had gone with Kida and Mikado.

"Let's get to Jyuudaime's side."

* * *

><p>Usually in battles, the boss of the group is always protected by the subordinates. Those who protect him were always the much stronger fighters than the men who were in charge of defeating the enemy. Another thing, the boss of the enemy is always targeted by most of the attacking force.<p>

Well, a battle is just like a chess game, when the king is cornered, the game is over. So when the boss is defeated, the battle is decided.

So, it did not really surprise Tsuna that he was facing the hitmen who were protecting Vincenzo Pedine. And looking at the menacing expressions of the Pedine mafiosi, they were determined to defeat the boss of their enemy.

Meaning him.

A drift to his right and a sudden crouch was what the brunet needed for two of his opponents to slam into each other. He took the moment to pull away from his pursuers to block a punch coming from his back. He then maneuvered to his left and successfully hit the man who attempted the punch. After beating the man down, he quickly took cover when he felt bullets whiz through the air, targeting him naturally.

Tsuna spotted the man who fired and went into his location. The man stilled when the Vongola Decimo appeared before him in a blink of an eye. The speed was certainly unbelievable. But then, Tsuna was using his soft flames to propel himself it was no surprise that he was moving with incredible speed. Not that the man knew of it.

Tsuna touched the hitman's pistol and ice gradually encapsulated it. The man, shocked at what happened, immediately dropped his ice-covered gun and backed away from brunet. Though he realized his blunder after a few steps when he felt a heavy blow on his jaw. It wasn't long before Tsuna turned to yet another man lunging at him.

Kida and Mikado had been watching Tsuna face off the Pedine men the whole time. Obviously, the two were the only ones who were not engaging into a fight. Not that they did not want to but somehow, none of the Pedine men could get close to the former Yellow-Scarves shogun and DOLLARS boss. It was because Tsuna had been fending off the Pedine men from the bestfriends from the very start of the battle.

Though that did not last long when the Pedine boss's right-hand man had successfully slipped through Tsuna's notice. The action was proof that the man's fighting abilities were far above an average mafiosi. He was the Pedine right-hand man after all.

The scarred man and his two subordinates did not waste anytime and went to Kida and Mikado's location while Tsuna was too busy with five of their men. They were planning to get the two Ikebukuroans who were somehow being protected by the Vongola Decimo.

Kida and Mikado realized this and readied to oppose the men. They eyed the same men who had abducted Mikado defiantly.

"Stay behind me Mikado." Kida whispered while Mikado nodded meekly. It was not an unknown fact that the raven was not really a fighter so it was up to Kida to protect his bestfriend.

The scarred man's followers were the first to charge at the two. Kida warded off the hitmen from Mikado and himself with all his might.

Worry flooded Tsuna when he felt a spike of his hyper intuition and saw his friends' condition. Kida was having difficulty with the two hitmen but was fortunately holding the fight off. The brunet quickly shoved another two men so that he could go and help his friends.

But before he could move, he saw the Pedine right-hand man join the fight. He raised his gun and aimed it at Mikado.

"Mikado-san! Watch out!" Tsuna stared wide-eyed at the smirking man as he pulled the trigger. Even with his speed, Tsuna knew he could not get there in time to save the DOLLARS boss.

Kida who was alerted by Tsuna's warning could only yell too. "Mikado!"

A shot was heard and the Pedine men expected the DOLLARS Boss to drop dead right there and then.

Unexpectedly, Mikado didn't. He was miraculously not hurt.

Everyone looked at the Pedine right-hand man and saw the reason behind the scarred man's failure.

A black-haired teen was maiming a metal weapon against the man. The scarred man pulled away successfully from the teen and sent a look at his two subordinates. The two men who had been assaulting Kida and Mikado left the Ikebukuroans alone to help their leader.

Tsuna couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who just saved Mikado. It was none other than his Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyoya.

"Omnivore. What are you stupidly spacing out for?"

Hibari's words snapped Tsuna out of his stupor. _It really is Hibari._

The men who were dumbstruck at the skylark's appearance became aware of what was happening. They became aggressive again and started to attack the Cloud guardian. The skylark's distraction gave Tsuna an opportunity to go to Mikado and Kida.

"Mikado-san. Are you hurt?" Tsuna asked concernedly to the raven.

Mikado shook his head meekly. He was still a bit shaken of his near death experience. "No. Fortunately, the bullet only grazed my jacket's sleeve."

Kida immediately grabbed Mikado's left arm to check if there was really no injury. It showed that the bullet just grazed the jacket. Kida sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice that they got too close to you." Tsuna apologized.

"Tsuna. You were fighting with them." Mikado answered back with a guilt-stricken face. "Besides, it's not your fault that I can't defend myself."

Kida eyed the two and interrupted. "If anything, it is neither your fault but the Pedine's alright. That point aside, is that Izaya?" Kida pointed at the skylark.

Tsuna cut-off Kida and explained. "No. That's Hibari-san. He's one of my – friends."

Hibari heard the omnivore's claim even though he was fighting. He shot a nasty look at Tsuna, obviously disagreeing.

"Jyuudaime!" a familiar voice caught the trio's attention. Tsuna turned around and saw Gokudera and his group approaching him. Closely behind them were the other two groups. Apparently, all of them had defeated their opponents.

"Tsuna, you're here! Does that mean the fight's over?" Yamamoto questioned the brunet.

"No. Actually – "

"Oi! Hibari is here to the extreme!"

All heads turned and watched the skylark as he single-handedly defeat the Pedine men one after another.

The Vongola were really surprised to see the aloof guardian. The violent prefect willingly left his precious Namimori town. They shuddered as they imagined why in the heavens was the skylark in Ikebukuro.

However, the DOLLARS' reactions were more interesting. They were stunned beyond belief when they saw the Izaya look-alike battling against the Pedine men. The resemblance was truly remarkable. But then, as they watched the teen longer, they could also spot a great difference.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Kadota asked suddenly.

The Vongola looked at Hibari. They saw another man suffer another hit from the violent prefect's tonfa. His eyes glinted as he turned and bash his enemies.

"Hibari." Tsuna began and Hibari turned to glare his signature glare.

_Interfere or I'll bite you to death Omnivore _was what it said.

The normal Tsuna would have relented but the situation was serious. Tsuna looked sternly at the skylark who in return grimaced and turned. Tsuna knew Hibari had grudgingly agreed.

Tsuna motioned for Yamamoto and Ryohei to help him defeat the remaining Pedine men. On the other hand, Gokudera, Chrome and Lambo stood by the DOLLARS to wait and guard.

Hibari was displeased that the omnivore did not heed his warning but did not dwell on the matter. As long as his prey, the Pedine right-hand man, would not be taken away from him and they did not get in his way while he bite the man to death.

"So, you are one of the Vongola guardians too, huh?" the Pedine right-hand man started as he looked menacingly at Hibari.

He was really furious at the teen who had thwarted his plan. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the now lying bodies of his defeated subordinates.

"Do not lump me with those herbivores." the violent prefect simply replied and charged at the man.

The prefect wasted no time and swung his tonfa to hit the man's face. The man stepped back and barely dodged but was caught off guard when Hibari kicked him after. The blow was hard but it didn't faze the man. He noticed blood on the prefect's right arm and tried to hit it.

Hibari winced at the pain he felt a when the man's punch connect to the injury he got from his previous fight. He remembered the infuriating smirk of his look-alike and was pissed off. Hibari's eyes narrowed at his opponent for triggering his memories of the annoying informant. Then, spikes grew from his tonfa and a chain extended from his weapon.

"For reminding me of _that_ herbivore, I'll bite you to death."

In mere seconds, the Pedine right-hand man fell down by the hands of a very pissed off skylark.

At the same time, Tsuna, Yamamoto and Ryohei had finished disabling the remaining Pedine men.

The only one standing was Vincenzo Pedine, the Pedine Famiglia Boss.

It was a checkmate.

* * *

><p>Author's Rants:<p>

*does a dogeza* I'm so sorry for the late update. Things were just hectic here and there and everywhere. Haha. I have no excuses. XD

Also, this is just semi-betaed by TotallySweetFantasy. Full edit will be released someday(?)

Anyways, about the chapter, hope it was still worth the wait. Readers had been wondering if dying will flames would be included in the fighting scenes and here's the answer. I actually spent the days debating with myself if all or just some of the DOLLARS would see DW flames but heck what's the fun if they don't. Though surely, I _tried_ to portray them so that it _may_ still fit into Durarara! environment (ie. not feeling super-powered). You may spot pseudo-canon things here, they are done for the stories sake.

Comments? Suggestions? Violent Reactions? Definitely appreciated! And so much thanks to the alerters, favers and silent-readers. And so much love to the awesome people who reviewed last chapter. You're the best!

It's hard to say it but we are nearing the end of this story. Next chapters should be over-all resolution and what-not. I'm not spoiling anything. =3=

Until next chapter. Ciao! =D

And now, the end is near... And so I face, the final curtain... Trololol... XXD


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